


This Summer's Gonna Hurt Like A Motherf***ker

by GuacaWuacaFlamez



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cockblocking Han Solo, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Masturbation, Menstruation, Political Parties, Sleepovers, Summer Romance, Sunscreen Trope, Swimming Pools, Thirsty Rey, Tickle Fights, Upright Orgasm, Vibrating Underwear, soirées, workout buddies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2020-10-10 19:36:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20533451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuacaWuacaFlamez/pseuds/GuacaWuacaFlamez
Summary: Ben Solo thought he was an average guy with an average life, until Poe Dameron crashes at his parents' place for the summer with his friends. Suddenly Ben's life just got a whole lot more interesting as the object of his desire seems hell-bent on breaking down his patience, one flirtatious dimpled smile at a time. A light-hearted summer piece, because I'm not ready for summer to be over yet.





	1. Fuckin' Poe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben Solo gets blind-sided by Poe's summer plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heard the song on Spotify shuffle a few days ago and thought how appropriate the title would be when applied to my fave ship babies. First fanfic, no beta. I am yours for the critiquing, but please, be gentle. :)

Ben Solo considered himself to be an average guy. Granted, his family’s lineage had ensured him a comfortable spot at Chandrila University’s law program and a steady stream of dates for his weekends, but when it came down to it, he was overshadowed by his mother’s political legacy and the legends of his racecar driver father.

Not that he cared much anymore. His growing emotional outbursts had finally culminated in an exhausting night at the police station for punching the local bar’s bouncer. His mother had bailed him out on the bargain that he would see a therapist. After that, Ben’s emotions were slowly brought under control and his relationship with his parents grudgingly improved.

Nowadays, he kept a low profile. Weekends were spent at home in the den, taking advantage of the diverse array of gym equipment Leia had wisely brought in to help with his anger management. Ben hardly went out anymore save for the occasional drink with Hux and Phasma, his caustic colleagues at Snoke & Bradshaw Law Inc., and attended his mother’s politically-related annual gala alone. Yes, it was a fairly uncomplicated life, for an average guy like Ben.

Until this summer.

If he wanted to, he could blame his mother for inviting Poe Dameron and his friends to stay over during the summer break. Sure, their house was bigger than the average family’s 3-bedroom, 2.5 bathroom deal, but that didn’t mean you had to fill up all the extra bedrooms with people, for the love of Pete. 

When Ben had first found out what Leia had done, he had jogged for 5 miles and then nearly demolished the punching bag in order to get himself under control. It wasn’t that he hated Poe, though in their childhood, Poe had turned out to be more of the golden boy Ben knew his parents had hoped _he_ would have been. During college, Poe’s boisterous charisma won him the affection of nearly every girl on campus, save for the ones trying to get into Ben’s pants upon hearing what kind of family Ben came from. Despite Ben’s churlish behavior and even the few fist fights they had gotten into over the dumb little things college drama brought up, Poe remained annoyingly resilient, and became what Ben would grudgingly call a friend.

Come to think of it, perhaps Ben shouldn’t be angry with his mother, but rather with Poe, once he had found out who Poe would be bringing along.

* * *

Poe had all but begged Ben to attend one of his infamous parties. “Just this once!” He had pleaded, after failing to guilt-trip Ben about his lack of a social life post-college.

“You need to get out more, meet some people, live a little! You’re going to be a boring old lawyer before you’re 35, Ben, and it is my responsibility as your friend to delay the inevitable as long as possible!” Poe whined as they jogged around Chandrila Nature Reserve. Ben rolled his eyes and picked up the pace, hoping that Poe would soon have to focus on breathing rather than talking. 10 minutes, 2.5 miles, and Poe’s never-ending cajoling later, Ben had grunted out a yes, and then left a huffing Poe to catch up the last half mile.

Despite Poe teaching aviation at the university upon graduating undergrad, many of the board members chose to turn a blind eye to his frequent parties. Ben supposed it was due to the charisma Poe oozed. He had flirted with many an authority figure during his college years, and from the looks of it, that wasn’t about to change – heck, Poe flirted with everybody.

His crowd of friends had hardly shifted, either. Poe seemed to surround himself with the same type, the ones that were loud and on the other, much younger side of 25. Ben wasn’t that surprised to see such a group when he showed up later that evening, and by the looks of the young, 20-something-year-olds swaying to the raucous music of Poe’s favorite white trash tunes, Ben knew that he would not be staying long.

He shook his head as he watched Poe regale the infatuated crowd with tales of his more dramatic aviation antics, sending everyone into peals of laughter. While Ben had had his pick of the litter during his time in undergrad, after some time the dating game had left him unimpressed. How ever did Poe manage to charm the pants off of every girl or guy he came in contact with? He sighed into his drink and looked at the door longingly.

“10 minutes! From what I’ve heard, that’s a new record for you, Ben,” a voice beside him teased. Ben started at the sound, and then almost wished he hadn’t been so curious to find out who had thrown him such friendly banter.

It was simply visual overload. The faintest dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks, a lilting grin with dimples at the corners of her mouth, and sparkling hazel eyes lit with mirth, were all framed by locks of warm hazelnut brown hair. She smelled amazing, too; a faint hint of lavender and mint. As his brain tried to catch up with what he was seeing, smelling, and hearing – was that a British accent? – he tried to respond intelligently to her comment.

“I, uh, where did you hear that from?” He stammered, cheeks flushing. _Yup, real smooth, Solo. Not._

She giggled and tilted her head in Poe’s direction. “Apparently that guy over there says you’re mates, and that he’s never been able to get you to come to his parties ever since that one time in your second year at uni.”

Ben grimaced. Of course Poe would bring that up and share it with the world. But to be fair, the leggy blonde had had no right draping herself all over his body upon his arrival, after he had just finished a 4-hour final prior to the party. He hadn’t been in his right mind anyway – sleep deprivation _and_ choosing to go to one of Poe’s parties? And then her behavior had been the last straw. He hadn’t even been there 10 minutes, and after pushing the blonde back – thankfully she landed on a couch – he had yelled at Poe and stomped out to sleep off his bad day.

“I’m not one for parties,” Ben muttered, chancing to glance at the radiant beauty sipping her Coke.

She shrugged. “Yeah, I hear you. It’s not really my thing either, but Finn wanted me to come, and I haven’t been able to say no to him anyway.” His ears began to burn with the stirrings of jealousy.

“Uh, Finn?” _Articulate. Way to go, Solo._

“Yeah, he’s like my adopted brother. We grew up with the same foster care experiences, and are both working on our engineering degrees.”

Ben felt himself relax at her words. At least he wouldn’t have to go punch out his frustration on a bag tonight.

“So what are you studying?” She asked as he took a sip and tried to will the blush from his cheeks.

“Uh, I’m done actually. Studied law. I work in town now.” He watched, entranced, at the way her demeanor looked genuinely interested in what he had to say.

“Really? That’s awesome! So you’re serving justice to everybody, huh?” She grinned, and damn if those dimples didn’t make his cock twitch.

“Something like that,” he coughed slightly, hiding a smile.

For the rest of the evening he found himself talking with Rey Niima, an engineering major in her third year at Chandrila University. She was older than the kids in her class, she explained, because some of her foster guardians were imbeciles who didn’t value education, and had preferred that she help them run their auto body shop rather than attend school. She had graduated from high school when she was 19 and then worked for a year to save up for college. Ben was relieved that he wasn’t cradle-robbing some minor – he’d really have to talk with Poe about the people he chose to hang out with.

At some point they had drifted toward the modest-sized apartment balcony as the party wore on. It was quieter outside, and he could take his time studying her as she looked out at the stars and chattered on about her classmates and group projects.

Not long after, Finn came by to pick her up. A braver man would have asked for her number, even suggested a date, but Ben was not such a man in this moment. Despite his undergrad dating experience and his own particular set of charm, Rey had somehow taken all of his communication skills, locked them inside a little box, and thrown away the key. He stuttered a goodbye as Finn whisked her away, and stood there on the balcony watching the door she had disappeared out of until Poe came out to find him with a knowing smirk.

“How’d you like the party, Ben?” Poe asked innocently.

“It was alright.” Ben replied curtly, not liking the shit-eating grin Poe was sporting. He excused himself and made his way home, with the pretty pair of eyes and that dimpled smile on his mind long after he had gone to bed.

He had actually hoped that Poe would have another party and invite him to it, but the spring semester saw Poe’s aviation load doubled when one of the other instructors went on maternity leave.

And then summer arrived.

* * *

“I’m home,” Poe hollered as he stepped into the empty foyer, triggering Chewie’s excited barking.

“Poe! So good to see you,” Leia came out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. Han came in through the front door, having heard the car pull into the driveway from his open garage workshop.

“Hey kid, long time no see,” he clapped Poe on the back gruffly, and chuckled when Poe caught him up in a bear hug. “Good to see you too, Han. Thanks for letting us stay for the summer, Leia. You’ve got the greatest views of the ocean and the best stretch of beach outside Chandrila.” Poe enthused.

“Probably because it’s privately owned and located right beside the region’s largest nature reserve,” Leia hummed while Han snorted.

“Where’s Ben?” Poe asked. “He can help us bring in the luggage,” he called over his shoulder as he made his way outside once more.

“Ben!” Han bellowed, effectively cutting into Ben’s mid-afternoon workout playlist. “Poe’s here! Come help ‘em bring in their stuff.”

Ben took a deep breath as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He’d hoped his workout would help calm his nerves before seeing Rey again, but—

“Ben!” His father’s voice cut into the beginnings of a mild nervous breakdown and he huffed before shouting back, “Coming!”

He took the stairs two at a time, ignoring his mother’s protests that he change before seeing company, and headed out the door, only to have his mind overwhelmed yet again by the sight before him.

She was laughing at something Finn said before sticking a cherry red lollipop back in her mouth and bending over the trunk to yank out a worn gray and orange duffle bag. Ben’s mouth went dry at the sight of her peachy ass filling out what had to be the shortest denim shorts in fashion history, leading into gorgeously tanned legs that went on for miles. Her oversized cropped t-shirt had slipped off her shoulder to show off a neon blue sports bra strap caressing her freckled shoulder, and tendrils of sun-streaked chestnut hair escaped her unconventional three-bun hairstyle that Ben immediately decided he adored on her.

“Hey Ben!” Poe shouted despite his impressive attempt to carry three suitcases and keep ahold of his barking goldendoodle BB-8’s leash. Finn and Rey both turned to greet him.

“Hey man, I’m Finn. I saw you at Poe’s party but I don’t think we were introduced,” the young man held out a hand for a friendly handshake, which Ben took with a nod.

“He knows about you already, silly, don’t you remember? I told you this!” Rey rolled her eyes with a bump of her hips against his.

“Just trying to make good first impressions, Peanut. God only knows what you told him at that party!” Finn joshed back before picking up his suitcase. Ben tried to play it cool as Rey reached over to give him a side hug before he could apologize for his sweat-soaked tank, but he swore electricity shot through them as their skin touched. Her small gasp was the only indication that perhaps she had experienced the same thing.

“Good to see you again, Ben,” she squinted up at him with a smile after taking out the lollipop, then motioned with her thumb, “apparently Poe here has decided to live with you forever, with the amount of crap he brought.”

“I’ll have you know that I am simply being mature and prepared for whatever life throws my way,” Poe tossed his nose up in the air haughtily and almost lost his grip on a suitcase, which Ben quickly reached for with a shake of his head. “I _am_ older than you two, after all.”

“Give us a break, Poe!” Finn exclaimed as Rey chimed in, “Yeah, says the guy who insisted on listening to Britney Spears’ Greatest Hits for the entire drive!”

“It was only a 30 minute drive!” Poe protested, “You know there’s nothing but the best music in the world that’s worthy of a half hour drive!”

Ben allowed them to enter the house first as they bantered, and as he followed the group up the stairs, confronted with the mouthwatering sight of Rey’s perfect ass once again, a thought crossed his mind, the one that would soon repeat itself over and over again as the visit went on:

_This summer’s gonna hurt like a motherfucker._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued, and soon we'll get Rey's POV as well! Rating will be updated later to something more devious due to the devil's tango that you know I'll be writing! Thanks for joining me on my first fanfic!


	2. Stay Hydrated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey realizes just who she'll be spending her summer with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Backtracked just a bit for Rey's take on things. Sorry it took so long; I had planned for Rey's POV in the third chapter but soon I began to see it would work better for the second chapter instead. Un-beta'ed, but I did my best to proofread!

“Hey Peanut, Poe’s asking if we want to join him on the coast this summer at his friend’s place,” Finn tugged on a stray lock of hair as Rey stared at her latest assignment with a frown. She brushed his hand away and twirled her pen. “Rey, did you hear me?” Finn huffed.

“Mm-hmm…” Rey replied absent-mindedly. Finn sighed and decided to resort to his secret weapon. With a single poke to her midriff and her answering squeal, he had her attention. “Hey!” She half-giggled, half-retorted. The sound reverberated in their small living room, breaking up the stillness of their study session.

“You don’t have any plans this summer, right?” He asked, picking up her pen to give it a spin. She leaned back against the armrest and chewed her lip.

“Nope. Was thinking about taking up Jessica’s offer to help her out at the diner this summer. I could use the moolah since Plutt kicked me out of his garage.” She rolled her eyes despite both her and Finn knowing she was better off without working in the perverted crook’s vicinity.

“Well, Poe called me yesterday and asked if we wanted to hang out with him for the summer at his friend’s place.” Finn’s voice rose with excitement. “He grew up on the coast and it sounds like it’s been a while since he was there. Whaddya think?” He raised his eyebrows.

Rey mulled it over. Sand and sea sounded loads better than dealing with grumpy customers and fried grease all day. And she did have that scholarship carrying her through, so it wasn’t like she was absolutely strapped for cash. She shrugged.

“Sure, let’s do it.” Finn broke out into a grin and whipped out his phone.

“I was hoping you’d say yes! I haven’t been to the ocean yet so I was _really_ excited when Poe brought it up! I’m going to give him a call right now and let him know.”

Rey remembered her friend had grown up in a landlocked desert climate and hadn’t had many experiences to travel. A shadow dimmed her smile as she thought of how they’d both been dealt similar hands in life. How fortunate that they were together now, as thick as thieves and ready to support each other at a moment’s notice. He was her family, and she would give him the world if she could.

“Hi Poe, Finn here.” He pressed a button and the flight instructor’s voice came over the speaker.

“What’s up?”

“We’re down to join you for the summer,” Finn replied with an almost imperceptible shiver of delight.

“Great!” Poe exclaimed. “I’ll let Han and Leia know and we can be on our way after finals week. How does that sound?”

Finn nodded, then remembered it was a phone call. “Yeah, that’s cool.”

“Awesome. Alright, I’ll be in touch with more details later. It’s going to be a fun summer.” His tinny voice sounded a tad mischievous to Rey. “And hey, maybe you can help me get Mr. I’m-Too-Cool-For-Friends-Ben to come out of his loner shell and loosen up a little.” Poe laughed his good-byes and hung up on them. Finn shook his head with a chuckle at the abrupt end as Rey’s mouth dropped.

“Well, I guess we’ll have an interesting summer and make some new friends while we’re at it. God, I can’t believe I’ll finally get to see the ocean.” Finn stood up and headed for the kitchen, failing to notice Rey’s shellshocked look. “Want some stir-fry tonight?”

Rey blinked distractedly, willing her brain to churn out an answer while simultaneously racing down the pathway to Hot Guy Land. “Uh, sure.”

If this was the Ben she had met at Poe’s party, Rey was down to fu– er, down to make friends. Truth be told, she had been looking forward to another party at Poe’s, hoping she would run into Ben Solo again. The dark-haired, blushing mountain of a man – _God, his shoulders though! _– had stayed at the forefront of her mind ever since that night, and had even starred in some of her feverish wet dreams, for which she was thankful she had her own room and a silent vibrator tucked away in her nightstand drawer.

It wasn’t until she caught herself looking for Ben in every dark brown-haired male she passed by on campus that she realized she may very well have a problem, like some obsessed pervert. Could anyone blame her, though? Rey thought back to her limited dating experience. It had been awkward and after a few bad dates in freshman year, she had decided she much preferred her little toy in her room to scratch the itch. But she couldn’t be so quick to pass up judgment on Ben Solo. He intrigued her.

However, school had soon dragged her down with everybody else, and she had spent the remainder of her academic year crying frustrated tears over her statistics assignments, cursing out her professors under her breath, and downing all manner of caffeine like she was a man dying of thirst out in the desert.

* * *

As they compared horror stories in the car of how each person’s semester had finished, Ben had taken the back seat in her mind until Finn asked Poe, “So who’s the guy you said we’d be staying with?”

“Oh yeah, we’re staying with the Organa-Solos this summer. I grew up with Ben, their son, and despite all the crap he gave me throughout the years, we’re friends,” Poe shrugged. “His parents have a sweet little place by the beach, and when you see those sunsets on the water, you’re never going to want to leave!” He sighed dreamily. Rey cursed herself to the stars. She was doomed.

Finn sat back in his seat thoughtfully. “Huh. Don’t think I’ve met him, then. Sounds like a piece of work,” he commented. “Do I need to watch out for him being a dick to Rey?”

She glanced over at him with a scoff. “I can take care of myself!” He held up his hands in surrender.

“If he’s going to be around for the summer, I just want to make sure that whatever beef he’s had with Poe isn’t going to transfer over to you or me just because we’re his friends, you know?” 

“Oh, you don’t have to worry,” Poe flapped a free hand dismissively, “He just has an image to keep up because of where he works. His boss is an asshole and his coworkers are nuts. It’s up to us to turn ol’ beastie boy into a human again.” He laughed.

Rey frowned at Poe while scratching BB-8’s head, the goldendoodle’s tail thumping contentedly. “When I met him at your party, he wasn’t rude to me. We had a decent conversation,” she said defensively. At this, Finn looked over at her with his eyebrows raised. Poe glanced at her in the rear view mirror with a twitch of mischief pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“Maybe you should both brief me on this Ben guy,” Finn suggested, schooling his features into what he hoped was a neutral look. Poe chuckled under his breath before launching into a story about the time in middle school when he and Ben took the gardener’s riding mower and practiced their “rodeo tricks,” which resulted in a broken arm for Poe and a sprained ankle for Ben. Both received scathing rebukes from Leia before she doted on them for the rest of the recovery period with grilled cheese sandwiches and extra television time.

After Rey’s brief and less exaggerated recollection of her time with Ben at Poe’s party, gas station snacks, and almost the whole album of Britney Spears’ Greatest Hits later, the silver Camry pulled up in front of what Rey could only describe as a modern Italian manor. An older, gruff-looking man wiping grease off of his hands with a worn rag emerged from a separate garage. Poe glanced over at his friends and smirked.

“Close your mouths, kids, you’ll attract flies.”

Rey snapped her mouth shut with a glare while Finn continued to stare in silent wonder, flipping Poe the bird.

“I’ll be right back to help unload. I just really need to see Leia first; it’s been so long!” Poe grinned excitedly as he ducked out of the car. Rey looked over at Finn.

“Well, this should be fun,” Finn gave a nervous chuckle.

“Have you ever seen anything so… much?” Rey gaped as they both continued to take in the residence and the mini-reunion unfolding in the foyer.

“I’ll forgive you that grammatically incorrect sentence because I agree with you, Peanut. This is crazy!” Finn breathed, eyes wide and drinking it all in. “Looks like we’re in for a ride, huh?” He finally shook himself out of his daze and opened the car door.

“Yeah… fun,” Rey muttered, nerves beginning to knock butterflies around in her stomach at the thought of seeing _him_. _Pull yourself together,_ she chided, letting BB-8 jump out of the open car door before getting out herself. _Try the whole friends thing first before licking him from head to toe. _Her brain almost short-circuited at the imagery. _Shit. _Her lollipop would have to be the only thing on the licking menu for today, she frowned before chomping down a little too hard on the stick.

“Oh my god,” Finn deadpanned, bringing Rey back to the present. “Have you ever seen so many suitcases?” She came around to the trunk where he stood and snorted.

“This _is_ Poe we’re talking about.”

The man himself bounded down the stairs and wormed his way between them. “Hey guys, what’s the hold-up?”

“Your suitcases, man,” Finn exclaimed as Rey giggled.

“Yeah, and?” Poe gave a manly grunt and pulled three out of five luggage pieces out of the car. “We’re staying for the whole summer, guys.”

“Haven’t you ever heard of laundry?” Rey snarked as she reached in to grab her lone duffle bag.

“Once again, this is _Poe_ we’re talking about,” Finn grimaced, remembering the time he had crashed at Poe’s place after a late night of drunken PC gaming and waking up to the shocking aftermath in the morning. Rey laughed, recalling how horrified Finn had been as he vented to Rey once he was back at their apartment. The man was a stickler for a clean house, which Rey didn’t mind at all.

“Hey Ben!”

Poe’s shout brought Rey’s attention to the mouth-watering specimen slowly making his way down the stairs, smirking at Poe’s inability to balance his luggage before shifting his gaze to her.

Finn beat her to the greetings.

“Hey man, I’m Finn,” he held out his hand. Rey snorted inwardly at the formalities. It’s not like she needed one, anyway. Come to think of it, she remembered talking about Finn at the party with Ben. He knew about her roommate already, and, oh god, now he’d think she had kept her balcony hangout with Ben a secret, even though Finn _had_ come to get her before they left, and damnit why was she overthinking this?! _Shut up! _She yelled at her brain before opening her mouth.

“He knows about you already, silly, don’t you remember? I told you this!” Rey bumped her hips against Finn’s, trying to ignore the strange look that flashed across her best friend’s face before he teased back, “Just trying to make good first impressions, Peanut. God only knows what you told him at the party!”

Rey shook her head and went over to the trunk where Ben was preparing to grab the rest of Poe’s suitcases. Sliding her arm around him briefly, she felt him tense up slightly, though he seemed to be built out of bricks on a regular day, because _holy shit, those abs!_ Not to mention his exposed biceps looked like they could crush her skull without breaking a sweat. She could only guess what the rest of his clothes were hiding, and mentally patted herself on the back for her foresight in packing her vibrator. There was no way she would be getting through the summer without the help of her trusty toy. Her breath hitched as their skin touched, and she quickly backed away from him with a barely imperceptible shiver.

“Good to see you again, Ben,” she threw him a dazzling smile, silently appreciating the way he blocked the sun, the rays peeking around the edge of his sweat-dampened locks. Trying to keep the conversation light, she quipped, “Apparently Poe has decided to live with you forever, judging by the amount of crap he brought.”

She watched as Ben’s face twitched into a small smile at the beginning of Poe’s protests. His forearms rippled as he took a teetering suitcase from his friend and started for the house. She joined in the playful banter with Finn and Poe after a pause to meet Leia and Han in the foyer, keeping a tab on the quiet-yet-powerful presence behind her back as they climbed the stairs.

Poe went straight down the hall to what he claimed was his room, while Ben gruffly directed Finn and Rey to their own separate rooms before continuing down the corridor with the rest of Poe’s luggage.

Rey stepped inside her room and gasped.

The room was bigger than any of the bedrooms she’d lived in in the past. Crisp white linens covered the bed and a nautical theme influenced the minimalistic decor. The view out her window stole her breath.

Sunlight sparkled on the glittering ocean waves. To her right she could see the beginnings of a forest, and on her left was an expanse of beach sand. A small dock extended out to where a white-and-red speed boat was gently bobbing on the water, while directly below her sprawled a warm beige slate-covered patio. Just off to the side of the backyard was a lap pool and inset jacuzzi. On the rise of a nearby grassy knoll, a petite gazebo perched to catch the best view of the sunset on the water.

Her phone buzzed and she tore her eyes away from the beautiful sight to see Finn’s text: _OMG Peanut! This is so much better than bussing greasy diner tables for the next few months, amirite?_ She smirked and returned her gaze back to the ocean waves with a happy sigh.

Someone cleared their throat behind her and she whipped her head around. Ben leaned against the doorway, his muscular arms crossed as he looked at her with what she could only describe as a subtle smile. It temporarily smoothed out the furrow between his eyebrows. Rey chastised herself for wanting to kiss that gorgeous, freckle-dotted forehead.

“Mom said to let everyone know that we’re going to have dinner on the patio tonight, so just take it easy and explore the place till then,” he ran a restless hand through inky black tresses and Rey bit her lip to keep from moaning aloud at the action. Instead, she gave him a smile and gestured to her room.

“Thank you, for all of this. When Poe said we’d be staying the summer with you I never could have imagined–“ She trailed off helplessly, trying to find the words to convey how much of a fairytale this was for her to have landed in. To think that this was the kind of life Ben and Poe had while they were growing up was a far cry from what she and Finn had ever experienced. It was embarrassing that she should be this overwhelmed. Yet she really was blown away by his family’s generosity to house two strangers for several months. How many people in her past had been this kind? She knew she could count them all on one hand.

“Just… thanks. Thanks for letting us crash your summer and solitude. It’s all incredibly amazing,” she finished, twisting her fingers into the soft cotton of her shirt as her cheeks heated up. _How pathetic! Don’t be an arse-kisser,_ she berated herself.

Ben studied her carefully before pressing his lips into a tight smile. “S’all good. I hope you have a good time here this summer.” She beamed at him and nodded. The silence grew thick as they continued staring at each other, half-lost in their own thoughts and half-awkwardly wondering what else to say.

“Well, uh, I should go shower before supper.” Ben ran his hand through his hair again with a slight nod before turning away. Rey’s brain forgot to control her mouth as she blurted out after him, “We should work out sometime.”

He stopped in his tracks. Glancing at her over his shoulder, Ben threw her a devilish grin.

“As long as you can keep up, s’fine with me.”

She scoffed and tried to ignore the way her heartbeat increased when the corners of his eyes crinkled.

“You’re on, Solo.”

_Well, shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya girl is thaaaarrrrrsssssty! Also, Finn's starting to catch on. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more summer shenanigans!


	3. The Summer Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast time at the Solo household.

Ben cursed himself out for the fifth time that morning. After a restless night with the paralyzing thought of Rey snoozing just two doors down the hall from his room, he nearly choked upon seeing her at the breakfast table.

_Adorable,_ was the only cognizant thought flashing in his brain at 9:15 in the morning.

Han had been nursing a cup of coffee while Leia bustled around getting waffles, scrambled eggs, and other breakfast items on the table. Poe and Finn were trying to help her but had only succeeded on receiving her snark as she shooed them away from the stove.

At one-tenth of what he was sure was her normal energy level, sat Rey, hair adorably mussed, still half-asleep and as quiet as a mouse as she wrapped her hands around a steaming mug of tea. One side of her oversized T-shirt had slipped down over her shoulder _again._

_Were all her clothes this huge on her? If so, where, or whom did she get them from?_ Ben tried to fight down the wave of jealousy that battled for dominance with feelings of arousal as the fleeting image of him sidling up to Rey and kissing that exposed shoulder threatened to send all the blood in his body down to his cock. He should have taken that extra five minutes in the bathroom, he groaned internally before taking a seat at the end of the table.

“Look who decided to rise and shine,” Han greeted him dryly as Leia bumped Poe out of her way with her hip for the fourteenth time to place a platter of pancakes in front of Rey. Ben barely caught the lovingly hungry glance Rey gave the stack and was slammed with the overwhelming desire to get his girl anything she was craving so that she would never have to want for any dish ever again.

_His girl? When did that start?_

“Dig in, everyone,” Leia declared as she hung up her apron and joined the others at the table.

“Hey Leia, do you know if Paige is in town?” Poe asked as he tossed Rey a waffle. She scowled at him as she caught it while Finn laughed, “Can’t serve food like a normal person, can you, Poe?”

Leia shook her head as Han passed her the cream for her coffee. “I don’t think she’s going to be here until the end of the summer; she has that internship in Alderaan. I saw Rose at the grocery store yesterday, though.”

“Alright!” Poe cheered, “Rey, you hear that? There’s another girl for you to meet!”

Rey arched an eyebrow as she swallowed around a mouthful of scrambled eggs and sausage, “Not that I mind making another friend, but why are you so happy about that fact in particular?”

Poe’s mouth twitched slightly before schooling his face into the picture of innocence. “Oh, no reason,” his eyes slid over to Finn demolishing a waffle before smiling at the suspicious Brit. Han raised his eyebrows but said nothing.

“So what are your plans for today?” Leia asked brightly amid the sound of tinkling cutlery against ceramic.

“Work,” Han and Ben grunted at the same time from opposite ends of the table.

“Aww, really, Ben?” Poe pouted, “I wanted us to take the kids out to the nature reserve for a hike.”

“‘Kids,’ he calls us,” Finn muttered across the table to Rey, who rolled her eyes and kept attacking her waffle. Poe elbowed Finn and continued, “Can’t you take a decent vacay from Creepy What’s-His-Face?”

“I’m filling in for Phasma today while she’s in court,” Ben bit out, annoyed that he would have to explain himself.

The muscle in his jaw jumped as his father said sarcastically, “Creepy What’s-His-Face doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘vacation.’” Leia cast a warning glance at her husband before clearing her throat to address Poe.

“Would you like me to pack you a picnic or will you be coming back here for lunch?”

Poe laughed with a shake of his head. “Partial retirement looks good on you – We might come back here for lunch and then hang out at the pool this afternoon.”

“I’m not retired yet, Poe; I’ve got a lull before my campaign starts up again,” Leia retorted. The offending man of the hour simply shrugged and turned back to Ben.

“Seriously, though, at least take a week or two off and hang with us. I wanted to take the boat across to the island fort sometime, and I don’t want to go by myself. I can’t be responsible for these kids if they get killed in the jungle,” Poe reasoned with what he hoped was his best puppy dog eyes look.

“Leave it, Poe,” Ben growled. Poe stuck out his tongue as Han scoffed and reached for the coffee pot once more.

Work was Ben’s only refuge from what was going to be a tormented summer, he was sure of it. It would be his protecting barrier from the lovely creature sitting beside him, chewing on her eggs and bacon while her pep seemed to return. He caught himself staring at the bit of scrambled egg at the corner of her lips and quickly turned to his coffee mug with a slight scowl.

While he wouldn’t consider himself a true workaholic, Ben did understand how Snoke chose to run the company, and didn’t really mind the lack of personal time off. Besides, it was true: Snoke sneered down on the employees who dared to ask him for vacation time. “Jeopardizing the well-oiled machine of our business” is what he called it, sending inquiring employees away chagrined. But try as he might, Ben could not deny that there was a small part of him that wouldn’t have minded being in Rey’s presence.

However, he couldn’t go down that road. He broke things. He broke relationships. And if he was going to befriend the most beautiful girl he’d ever laid eyes on this summer, he sure as hell wasn’t going to risk craving more with her. His heart twisted painfully at the thought of what he was sure would be an ugly aftermath.

Rey piped up. “Island fort? What island? I want to go!” Ben was jerked back to the domestic atmosphere as she surreptitiously slipped Chewie and BB-8 some bacon while keeping her eyes on his mother. He bit back a chuckle as some of the tension in his shoulders eased.

Leia turned a brief, fond smile toward Ben as she explained to Rey, “There’s a small island near the nature reserve that Ben and Poe used to explore when they were kids. It makes for a nice overnight camping spot, if you want to camp sometime during your stay here.”

“Awesome!” Finn enthused, the excitement in his eyes mirroring Rey’s countenance as she grinned.

Breakfast continued on in similar fashion, with Poe intentionally getting on everyone’s nerves before Han got up from the table, grumbling some excuse about getting to the garage early for a head start on the day’s client tasks. Ben had glanced at the clock above the oven to confirm his father’s bullshit – It was already 10:37. Finn and Rey jumped on dish duty while Poe distracted Leia enough to keep her from noticing the helpers before they were elbow-deep in suds.

Ben quietly cleared the table while stealing glances at Rey chattering animatedly to Finn. God, she was gorgeous. The way her smile lit up her entire being had him fighting to keep an echoing smile off his face. As Finn wiped down the counter, Rey dried her hands and made her way over to him.

“You sure you can’t join us sometime? Maybe on the weekend or something?” She asked, leaning on the table and giving Ben a peek down the t-shirt she was swimming in. He caught a hint of her cleavage –_ Good God,_ he groaned – and began reciting the U.S. Constitution in a vain attempt to distract the blood from rushing down to his cock.

“Maybe on the weekend,” he parroted with a nod, finishing up the table and brushing past her to toss the rag into the sink. “I have to go get ready,” Ben jerked a thumb backwards toward the staircase with a pasted on smile before all but dashing out of the kitchen.

Once he was safely back in his room, he heaved a small sigh. He was torn. The tiny shred of desire to take a vacation had ballooned, swallowing all of his excuses. Maybe he could indeed get time off. Maybe he could join Rey and company on the weekend for a trip to the island fort or a beach day. Maybe, maybe, maybe…

Except… Snoke.

For once in his life, Ben felt a feeling he’d never really had directed at his boss before: resentment.

With another sigh, he tugged his shirt off and headed for the bathroom. Maybe his shower thoughts would provide a solution that would both keep the peace at the office and help him get what he wanted.

* * *

Rey frowned at Ben’s hasty departure. Chewing on her lip while she looked after him, she failed to see Finn’s smug smile curling the corners of his mouth like that cat that swallowed the cream.

“What’s goin’ on, Rey?” Finn’s drawling voice jolted her out of her musings. She began to prepare her excuses until she saw the look on her best friend’s face and knew there was no use lying to him. He knew her too well. On a heavy exhale, she shrugged her shoulders with a sheepish grin, “We got along so well at the party. I thought that… maybe something could happen this summer.” She explained.

Finn smiled. “Well, there’s nothing to be worried about just yet; the summer’s only begun.” Her eyes flicked up to his with a hopeful light.

“You got me?” Rey asked with a small smile, thankful that he didn’t disapprove of her attraction to their hosts’ son. Finn gave her hip a bump with his own.

“Yeah, I got you, Peanut.” He smiled at her fondly before his eyes grew serious. “But he’d better not hurt you, or else I will be his personal hell for as long as it takes to satisfy your broken heart.”

Rey snorted. “I love you Finn, but we both know he could deck you clean before you even had a chance to give your opening statement of defense on my behalf.”

Finn laughed and shrugged as they started up the stairs, “Well, at least I’ll die for a good cause!”

Poe stuck his head out into the hallway as they arrived on the second floor. “Alright, guys, we’re going to the nature reserve today, and then meet up with Rose for lunch at Maz’s. You’re going to love her, I promise.” He grinned as he hopped around pulling on a pair of hiking socks.

Finn turned to Rey with a sparkle in his eyes. “Let the summer begin!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the gap in updates. This one's a bit of a shorter chapter before they begin the day's adventures and meet Rose. I'm hoping to update more consistently in the weeks to come. The leaves have already changed color and dropped off here in the real world, but in Reylo-land summer has just begun! Thanks for your patience and for reading along on this silly little tale.


	4. Rose The Wingwoman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing... Rose!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, did you notice our rating changed? ;-) We're getting there, folks!

Maz’s Diner was one of those renovated diners from the 50’s, the kind you would find on vintage postcards, complete with worn pick-up trucks and the occasional Cadillac in the parking lot.

Poe tied up the dogs in a shady corner at the edge of the parking lot, putting out their portable food and water bowls beside the car’s tires. Finn stretched exaggeratedly and declared, “I need food!”

Rey sighed in relief as she trailed in behind Poe, immediately basking in the air conditioned atmosphere when the little bell tinkled merrily to announce their arrival. A petite woman who looked like she would take a big wooden spoon to your rear if you called her “elderly” stuck her head out of the kitchen and hollered, “As I live and breathe, it’s Poe Dameron! Back to cause trouble, huh?”

Poe held his hands to his chest and staggered backwards. “You wound me, Maz! C’mon, surely you missed me even a little bit?”

The restaurant owner shook a fist good-naturedly at him. “I rejoiced in every day that I didn’t have to see your smug mug,” she grumbled.

Walking up to the group, she grabbed a couple of worn laminated menus and motioned for them to follow her to a booth. Finn and Rey slid into one side while Poe slouched into the other. Maz plopped the menus down onto the white tabletop and cocked her hand on her hip.

“Who are your friends, Poe?” She asked, sizing up the two with interest. Rey tried not to fidget as she endured the woman’s soul-piercing stare.

“I’m Finn, and this is Rey,” her seat mate spoke up with a smile. “We’re visiting here for the summer.”

“They’re staying with the Solos,” Poe said casually. At this, Maz’s eyebrows rose and a smirk twitched at the corners of her mouth.

“How’re you finding the stay?” She asked, pinning Rey with those dark soul-searching eyes. Rey found her voice.

“We’ve only been here for a day but Chandrila is incredibly beautiful,” she said earnestly. The smirk began to surface after Maz’s nod.

“And have you been keeping Solo in line?”

Rey looked across the table at Poe confusedly.

Poe jumped in. “I tried, Maz. He has _work,_” he emphasized with a roll of his eyes. Maz tsked and turned for the kitchen waving a hand in dismissal.

“That boy’s headed for trouble,” she called over her shoulder before disappearing into the back.

“Everyone agrees except him,” Poe shouted back. He sat back and creaked open his menu, while Finn glanced at Rey perplexedly before turning to their booth mate.

“Why are you all riding Ben about his job?” He asked the dark-haired man across the table. Poe looked up in a brief moment of confusion before shaking his head.

“Snoke’s a creep,” Poe explained. “Anyone can Google this guy and see that he’s bad news. There are rumors that he's been involved in illegal activities. And for whatever reason, he's been going after Ben for the past couple years to get him to work at his firm. It's weird and obsessive, if you ask me. Despite all of the crap he's heard about Snoke, Ben still willingly went to work for him. So… he’s an idiot.” He shrugged. Finn pulled out his phone with raised eyebrows and opened his web browser to Google Ben Solo's infamous boss.

Rey was not satisfied.

“Really?” She asked, her question colored with disbelief. “Ben doesn’t seem to be the type to make a decision on someone who’d be ‘bad news’.” Her eyebrows knit together as she tried to link the attractive man she was crushing on with his current unsavory work connections.

There was definitely more to Ben Solo than she knew, and she was eager to keep peeling back the layers if it meant that he would open up to her again like he had at Poe’s party, if not… more.

She hoped no one noticed her sudden blush.

A friendly blonde waitress came over to take their drink orders, and Rey was pulled out of her musings to quickly decide on a chocolate milkshake with whipped cream.

As soon as she left, Rey fixed her gaze on Poe again expectantly.

Poe gave another half-hearted shrug as he began fidgeting with the salt shaker lazily. “Look, when you’ve had a falling out with your parents it’s not hard to go crazy.”

Rey felt Finn stiffen beside her and shake his head at Poe warningly, mouthing, _“Triggered.”_

“I wouldn’t know.” She bit out in a frosty tone.

Poe had the decency to look contrite. He opened his mouth to explain further when Maz’s voice came from the kitchen, “Poe, you’d better not be tarnishing the Solo name to your guests.”

The man groaned as he ran a frustrated hand through his curls, “I’m _not,_ Maz!” Under his breath Poe muttered, “God… I swear she gets crankier every time I see her.”

Rey giggled.

Finn opened his mouth to say something when Poe waved to the person who had just entered the diner. The two turned to look at the newcomer who was approaching their booth with a bounce in her step. Rey wouldn’t have been surprised if she had a cloud of sparkles and rainbows surrounding her – the grin the petite woman threw them was close to blinding.

“Hey, Poe and Poe’s friends! Sorry I’m late.” She dropped a bright red Fjällräven backpack studded with various pins and badges onto the seat before waving the waitress over to give her her drink order.

While she finished speaking with the waitress, Poe introduced, “Rey, Finn, meet Rose Tico. Ben and I went to school with her older sister Paige back in the day.”

Rose slid into the booth beside Poe, her eyes crinkling up at the corners as she reached across the table to shake Rey’s hand, then Finn’s.

“Nice to meet you both. How did you like the reserve?” She asked with interest.

“It was absolutely gorgeous!” Rey enthused. “The view from the top was well worth the hike!”

Rose nodded, her ponytail bouncing.

“I know what you mean! There are several ways to reach that particular lookout, and some of the paths can be a bitch, but the view from the top makes it totally worth it.”

Poe elbowed his seat mate playfully. “I took it easy on them today. We’ll have plenty of time this summer to try out the other trails later.”

She wrinkled her nose at him and leaned across the table to whisper conspiratorially to Rey, “Feel free to blame him when your glutes are screaming bloody murder the next day.”

Rey threw her head back and laughed. She had a feeling she was going to get along just fine with Rose.

“Did you get any pictures?” The petite girl asked distractedly as she fumbled with a small bottle of hand sanitizer.

“Oh yeah, Finn got some neat panoramas,” Poe volunteered. “Didn’tcha?” He rested his chin on a closed fist with a knowing grin. Rey caught his look and turned to her friend.

Her eyes widened at his near-catatonic stare at the effervescent woman across the table and she wisely held back a chuckle.

“Uh…” Finn stuttered unintelligibly. Rose huffed in annoyance as she glared at the empty bottle.

“Aww poop.” She stood up. “I’m all out of Germ-X,” she declared with a frown. “I’m just gonna pop into the bathroom to wash my hands. I wanna see those pix when I come back,” she shot finger guns at Finn with a smile and made her way to the other end of the diner.

When she was out of earshot, Poe leaned forward interestedly.

“You alright there, buddy?” He smirked. Rey rested her chin on her hand as she waited for her best friend to come back to earth.

Finn finally picked his metaphorical jaw off the floor.

“That… girl… is _amazing!_” He whispered reverently. Rey snickered behind her hand.

“You’re a goner, mate,” she poked his shoulder. It seemed to further shake him out of his stupor and a horrified look crossed his face.

“Oh my god, I just made a _fool_ out of myself, didn’t I?” Finn buried his head in his hands.

“There, there, it’s alright, man,” Poe soothed, though a grin threatened to break through. “You’ve got the whole summer to get to know her.”

The other man took in a deep breath and exhaled noisily. “Right.” His voice squeaked and he tried again with more confidence. “Right. I’ll just… play it cool, be friends with her, and maybe… maybe something will… happen…?”

Rey threw her arm around his shoulder. “Seriously, keep calm and stay hip, mate! It’ll work out, don’t worry!”

Poe jerked his head in the direction of the bathrooms. “She’ll be back any minute. Just enjoy lunch and then we’ll head back to the house for a swim and hang out, okay?”

Finn nodded, taking in a shuddering breath.

“You got this,” Rey whispered as she spotted Rose coming back to their table.

Lunch proceeded without a hitch.

Rose enlightened Rey to the masterpiece that was fries dipped into milkshakes, much to Poe’s disgust. Flavorful burgers, beer-battered onion rings, and hot, crispy fries were chowed down while Rose and Poe traded stories back and forth about their childhoods in Chandrila. Finn even managed to tell Rose what he was studying at the university, and if she noticed the fierce blush on his face while he talked to her, she didn’t comment on it.

Rey wingmanned her best friend as much as she could, while trying to remain polite and not scarf down the rest of his fries. _He wouldn’t notice anyway,_ she thought devilishly as she took another two off of his plate. She pointedly ignored Poe’s snicker at her thievery.

“So what’re you up to for the rest of the afternoon?” Rose asked, licking salt and seasoning off of her fingers. Rey sat back contentedly, her fingers interlaced on her very full, very happy stomach.

“Probably going to take a nap from this food coma,” Poe joked. “But actually, we’re gonna hang out at the Solo’s pool. Wanna come with?”

Rose hesitated. “I’ve got a couple more hours at the yoga studio but… I could pop by after that.” Poe clapped his hands, startling Finn from yet another one of his his moon-eyed gazes at the petite woman.

“Great! Gives me enough time to take a snooze.” Poe declared with an exaggerated yawn. Everyone else rolled their eyes and got up to leave.

Maz came out of the kitchen, her sharp eyes missing nothing as she wiped some silverware on a clean corner of her apron.

“You tell that Ben Solo to take a vacation and come by to see old Maz, got it?” She shook a spoon sternly at the group.

Poe raised his hands in surrender.

“We’ll try, but no promises, Maz. You know how stubborn he can be.”

The old woman scoffed and shook her head. “Just like his father,” she muttered as she shuffled back into the kitchen.

* * *

_Could this day get any better?_ Rey thought to herself as she brought her hand up to shield her eyes as she surveyed the pool.

White fluffy clouds drifted lazily across a bluer-than-blue sky, reflecting somewhat in the chlorinated water of the Solos’ backyard pool. A handful of lounge chairs took up residence on the patio in the shade of the Mediterranean-style estate.

Rey had laid her towel down on one of the chairs and laced her fingers on her slightly-bloated belly. The food baby was going away slowly, but she wasn’t one to hide it. Food was food, and anyone who stuck up their noses at her eating habits didn’t deserve the time of day, she had decided long ago.

She smiled to herself and gently rubbed circles on her exposed stomach. “Food baby,” she chuckled softly. “What a weird concept.”

Rose plopped down in the chair beside her. “It really doesn’t show that much, girl,” she eyed the other girl’s stomach enviously. “I have to hide mine under a one-piece if I’m mixing food and pool time, and even if time has passed, it’s still showing for a few hours after I’ve eaten.” She gestured dramatically to her sleek black one-piece swimsuit with an intricate cut-out pattern in the back.

Poe was busy doing one last sweep for any stray leaves or bugs with the pool net while the dogs barked at the sparkles on the water nearby.

Rey hid a smile as Finn walked out onto the patio, caught sight of Rose, froze, and stared at her exposed back while she dug around in her cheerful red backpack once again, muttering to herself about sunscreen. She could see the indecision on his face of whether or not he should go up and talk to her or if he should go right back indoors for an ice-cold shower.

“Poop.” Rose frowned. “I left my sunscreen in the car. Have you put on any yet?”

Rey shook her head. “I didn’t pack any, honestly. Figured I could stop at a drugstore and get some later.”

“Well that won’t do.” Rose declared, standing up. “You can use mine. It’s even vegan,” she waggled her eyebrows before turning to leave. “Gotta keep skin cancer at bay!” She called over her shoulder before greeting Finn with a friendly punch on the shoulder as she trotted back into the house.

The lovesick spell temporarily broken, Finn took the chair Rose recently vacated and put his head in his hands.

“I’m going to die, Peanut,” he moaned. “She’s just absolutely beautiful and I can’t talk to her like a normal human being. It’ll be over before it even began.”

Rey rolled her eyes and placed her hand on his knee. “Stop being so dramatic. Be yourself, and I mean, _really:_ Be yourself. That’s what’s going to win her over. You’re outgoing, you get along with everyone else at uni. You’re going to be fine.” She encouraged, patting his knee just as Rose returned with Ben in tow.

Her sharp intake of breath brought Finn back out of his head and into the present. One glance at the tall dark-haired man following the petite ray of sunshine diverted Finn temporarily to his role of wingman.

“Guess who just got home?” Rose announced, waving the bottle of sunscreen dangerously close to Ben’s face as he stopped abruptly behind her.

“Hey Ben, get your trunks on and join us!” Poe shouted from the other side of the pool.

“Sunscreen first!” Rose shot back at him before leveling a serious look at Finn. “Skin cancer is no joke, right?” He nodded and mutely held out his hands for a dollop.

“I might join later when the sun isn’t as intense,” Ben countered as he gazed out over the pool sparkling in the harsh sunlight. Though he spoke at a normal volume, he knew Rose would pass the message along to the man in the pool currently wrestling with the basketball hoop set-up.

“Aww c’mon, Ben,” Rose wiggled the bottle of sunscreen in his line of sight to catch his attention. “There’s nothing that a little sunscreen can’t fix.”

He hummed noncommittally, his lips turning upwards as Poe cursed at the stubborn basketball hoop.

Clearing his throat, he huffed, “Sometimes, Rose, sunscreen doesn’t do shit for this pale-ass skin.”

Rey held up her hands to Rose and yelped at the ladleful of sunscreen that the other girl squirted out. “I don’t need this much, Rose,” she looked up helplessly.

“Trust me,” Rose winked at her, darting a quick glance at Ben before addressing Rey, “you’re more exposed than I am in that bikini. You’ll need it.”

Rey frowned down at the white pool in her hands before it dawned on her. _Son of a bitch, I’ve got a wingwoman. _She looked back up to catch Ben staring at her legs.

_Right. Time to turn up the charm. _She felt the butterflies swoop excitedly in her belly.

Throwing him what she hoped was a flirtatious smile, she cocked her head toward her lounge chair and asked, “Would you mind getting my back? It’s um, a tricky spot for me to reach.”

“Yoga would help make you more flexible, Rey,” Rose chimed in, busily rubbing sunscreen over her arms with enthusiasm. “You should consider taking our summer classes!”

Ben coughed as he looked at the space beside Rey. “Uh, sure.” He mumbled, perching his big frame carefully on the chair and holding out a hand for the white goop of skin salvation.

Rey immediately opened her hands to let the sunscreen flow into his hand —_ His massive bear paw of a hand,_ her mind supplied gleefully — and then turned so that her back faced him. The remainder of the lotion she dabbed onto various areas of her arms, stomach, and legs, before beginning to spread it into her skin.

A gasp caught in her throat when she felt one of his hands touch her shoulder.

She jumped.

“I’m sorry,” Ben said automatically, his hand leaving her skin at once. She turned her head slightly to find him staring intensely at the spot he had touched. Rey felt the urge to reassure him – perhaps place her hand on _his_ shoulder, maybe run that hand up into his hair, peek and see if his ears were red… She forced herself to relax.

“No worries,” she said brightly. “Just startled me a bit. I don’t really like the sticky feeling of sunscreen.” She wrinkled her nose at the white cast on her thighs.

“It’s either stickiness or skin cancer,” Rose said with a mildly threatening tone, the kind of tone that mothers use to scare their children to obey without any more protests. Rey rolled her eyes, making Ben’s face twitch with a smile.

He placed his hands back on her shoulders and began to apply sunscreen more confidently in sweeping motions. She bit back a moan when he found a knot lower down and pressed a bit harder.

Finn smirked and shook his head minutely as he left to join Poe in the water. Rose passed the bottle over to Rey.

“Here hon, make sure Mr. Pale-Ass Skin gets his dose when he changes into his trunks.” She winked again despite her sardonic tone and took a running start to cannonball into the pool with a whoop.

Rey sighed when his hands left her, only to start when he brushed past her arm, holding his hand out for more lotion.

“Oh.” She quickly squeezed a bit more into his waiting hand and let a smile steal across her face when he began touching her again.

With Rose and Finn out of hearing distance, she let her head loll back slightly, fully relaxing into the warmth of his kneading fingers.

A rather unlady-like grunt left her lips when he found yet another knot.

“You’re on vacation,” Ben joked, his rumbling voice cutting into the silence as he pressed harder with his thumbs, “you shouldn’t be this tense.”

“Blame it on, ah, the hike we took earlier,” Rey replied breathily, the last word ending on a moan as he put more pressure on the spot. He hummed thoughtfully, the sound going straight to her groin to stoke the beginnings of a throbbing heat.

For a few minutes, the impromptu massage continued, with Ben’s hands moving across the tops of her shoulders and making their way down her back, his thumbs smoothing down either side of her spine.

Rey squirmed minutely, attempting to alleviate the insistent heat between her thighs. With her mind focused on her arousal, she forgot herself when he found a knot halfway down her back and began to press down on it with his oh-so-talented thumbs.

“_Yeeeess,_” she hissed, her mind briefly registering that she probably sounded like a porno. She didn’t care. Ben could massage her for the rest of the afternoon, swimming be damned.

The whimper didn’t have time to leave her lips as his hands left her abruptly. He coughed again as he stood up, towering over her when she blinked up at him.

“You’re all set.” He said firmly. “I’m uh, just gonna go, uh, change.”

And swiftly turning on his heel, he strode back into the house, fists clenched.

Rey frowned at his hasty departure. She thought things had been going fairly well.

Then again, she had only asked him to put sunscreen on her back. The massage had been complimentary. She was probably ruined for every other massage in the future, she thought wistfully.

With a sigh, she sat back to wait for him. After all, someone had to put sunscreen on Ben Solo.

What could she say?

Skin cancer was a bitch.

* * *

Ben hurried to his room and slammed the door shut, his cheeks burning.

The weather had been close to unbearable when he had stepped out of the office, and before getting in his car, he had taken off his suit jacket and rolled up his dress shirt sleeves in an attempt to combat the uncomfortable humidity.

He had noticed Rose digging around in the trunk of her car as he pulled up to the house. She, in turn, spotted him and walked over to greet him before urging him to follow her back to the pool where the others were.

Closing his eyes, he pictured the moment when his eyes had fallen on Rey. The heat he had felt when leaving the office was paltry compared to what he felt as he tried not to gawk at her slender gray-and-white striped bikini.

Tendrils of hair had escaped her ponytail as she leaned forward to pat Finn’s knee, and a surge of jealousy made him clench his fists. What he wouldn’t give to have her look at him like that, to touch him like that and lean in slowly, closer and closer until their lips touched. He swallowed hard at the sight of all that exposed skin — the toned arms, those smooth-looking legs that he could imagine wrapped around his waist as they reclined on the lounge chair for… other reasons… God, he needed to get laid. Her breasts filled out her bikini top perfectly, he thought, and briefly he wondered what color her nipples were…

He stopped abruptly to avoid getting hit with a sunscreen bottle as Rose announced his arrival.

The two friends looked over at him as Poe hollered for him to get into the pool. He shook his head, his brain stuttering as he tried to function normally enough to respond to Poe while getting a grip on both his jealousy and arousal.

He couldn’t look at Rey, not if he wanted to keep his dignity in tact. Perhaps if he kept his eyes trained on Poe as his childhood friend frowned at the uncooperative basketball set-up, he could calm down enough to interact with Rey like a normal person.

Vaguely he heard himself answering Rose before a yelp caught his attention. Tearing his eyes away from Poe, he restrained a laugh at Rey frowning murderously at a close-to-overflowing amount of sunscreen cupped in her delicate hands. His eyes roamed over her body once more, his breath being taken away by the long line of her legs and the glorious expanse of exposed skin. His lungs screamed at him to _please breathe because we need the oxygen in order to live,_ and his eyes flicked back up to her face when she called to him and cast him a friendly smile.

“Would you mind getting my back?” She asked, lifting her hands full of sunscreen sheepishly. “It’s um, a tricky spot for me to reach.”

“Yoga would help make you more flexible, Rey,” Rose remarked while smearing the white mineral sun protectant efficiently onto her skin.

Ben coughed as the image of Rey — dressed in form-fitting leggings and a cute sports bra — contorting into a sexy backbend, flashed into his mind’s eye, unbidden. His cock threatened to rise happily to the occasion and he hastily banished the fantasy.

There would be time to daydream about such things later.

She was still holding her hands up in supplication, and with a quick muttered response, he took the three steps towards her lounge chair to gingerly lower himself down beside her.

She poured half of the sunscreen into his hand and offered him the view of her back. Delicate brown freckles dotted her golden-brown skin. He leaned forward in what he hoped was an inconspicuous manner and sniffed — lavender and mint. It brought him back to that night at Poe’s place. He bit his lip to hide his goofy smile and, after spreading the sunscreen evenly between his hands, he placed one hand on her shoulder.

She stiffened at his touch.

_Shit._

Immediately he drew his hand away.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, his face burning. _Idiot,_ he glowered at himself, _she probably thinks you’re a perv._

_Get a grip,_ the other voice inside his head argued, _the sunscreen was probably cold or something._

He couldn’t meet her gaze even as he felt her eyes on him, and instead focused on where he had touched her. That beautiful, freckled, tanned skin was now obscured by a white goopy smear of sunscreen in the vague shape of his handprint. A primitive feeling of possession arose in him, and he delighted in the thrill.

“No worries,” her lilting voice soothed his self-criticism away. “Just startled me a bit. I don't really like the sticky feeling.” She said, wrinkling her nose.

“It’s either stickiness or skin cancer,” Rose sounded like his mom, to which he internally rolled his eyes and then nearly laughed out loud when Rey did exactly that.

She wiggled her shoulders with a quick smile back at him, signaling for him to continue. He answered her smile with one of his own, and with relief, he placed his hands back on her shoulders to rub the lotion into her skin.

_God, her skin is so soft!_ He resisted the urge to lean down and kiss the supple skin.

It wasn’t long before he found a knot in her back and without thinking about it, began to focus in on the tight muscle with his thumbs.

Rose and Finn headed over to the pool, leaving him with Rey and half a bottle of sunscreen.

Ben let his thoughts carry him away as he worked another round of lotion into her skin dutifully.

What would it be like to be alone with her on a secluded beach somewhere, getting ready for a time of fun in the sun? Would she relax fully into his touch before the heat would consume them both, divert them from kosher plans, and transform into something more… provocative? Would she shyly accept his advances or would she battle him for dominance?

Briefly he was brought back to the present when his find of another knot had her gasping.

“You’re on vacation,” he chuckled. “You shouldn’t be this tense.”

She laughed in response, letting her head loll to the side slightly. “Blame it on the hike we, ah, took earlier.” Her voice hitched with a small moan when he pressed harder.

_Play it cool,_ he told himself, _it’s not what it sounds like. She just appreciates that you’re getting rid of these knots. _He pretended not to notice the shallow raggedness of her breathing.

The sunscreen was long gone by this point, yet Ben watched in an out-of-body fascination as his hands continued to move across her skin.

Up and down her spine.

The scent of lavender and mint mingled with Coppertone Plus.

He found another knot and steadily worked his thumbs into the stiff muscle, trying to chase away his fantasies with dwindling willpower.

“_Yeeeesss,_” Rey moaned, the sound sinful and throaty to his ears as she squirmed under his touch.

That was it.

He took his hands away from her and quickly stood up to angle his growing erection away from her startled gaze.

“Wha—“

“You’re all set,” he said rigidly, inwardly wincing at his tone. “I’m just, uh, gonna go change.”

He didn’t wait to hear her response as he spun around and walked briskly back inside the house.

Once in the privacy of his bathroom, he pulled down his pants and boxer briefs and immediately took his throbbing cock in hand.

It was embarrassing how swift his release came.

Five to seven frantic pumps within the grip of his hand and Ben exploded with a curse as his seed flowed over his fingers and dripped onto the cool tile floor. All he could see in his mind’s eye was his new fantasy of taking Rey on the lounge chair, her moans spurring him on as she writhed in ecstasy beneath him, taking every last inch of him deep within her body.

He sagged against the bathroom door in a mixture of relief and regret.

She was going to kill him before the summer was over. And he had a feeling that he wouldn’t mind one bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled with this chapter, honestly. I didn't want to dive in too deep with the whole Snoke bit, as I wanted to keep it focused on more light-hearted, summer-ish shenanigans. I also wanted to bring both of Ben and Rey's perspectives on one event into the chapter, and perhaps it ran away from me and became too wordy... Oh well. I appreciate your patience with me as I continue exploring these characters, writing about them, and refining each chapter.
> 
> (Edit 12/6: Just made minor edits for missing words.)


	5. Workout Buddies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben invites Rey to workout with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tension, glorious tension! (Non-beta'ed)

The sky seemed to move in closer to the earth in the earlier hours of morning; a soft, dark heather and lavender-colored mixture of cloud cover spread across the horizon like a thick, rolling layer of jam.

Rey yawned as she was brought back into the land of the conscious by a quiet-yet-insistent knock on her bedroom door. With a moan, she dragged herself out of bed and shivered at the chill in the air provided by an enthusiastic A/C system coming through the vents in the floor. Wrapping herself up in the fluffy comforter, she padded over to open the door.

Her sleep-filled eyes were greeted with the sight of a well-toned chest clad in a loose black tank top.

_Holy shit._

Several brain cells melted immediately from Hot Guy Overdose. It was too early in the morning for this to be happening to her. _I’m still dreaming. I have to be dreaming. Damn, thank you to whichever deity provides door delivery service._

She blinked twice, now more than halfway awake, then tilted her head upwards to meet warm brown eyes with a hint of apology in them.

“Morning, Rey,” Ben greeted her in hushed tones. “You still wanna get that workout in?” He crossed his arms as he leaned against the door frame and Rey’s eyes jumped down to the muscles bulging in his forearms.

If Rey was cold before, she suddenly felt too hot in her duvet burrito. The man was built. _I’d like to lick my way across those biceps,_ her inner voice salivated. Fighting back the urge to throw off the comforter and jump into his arms, she dragged her eyes back up to meet his gaze.

“But… it’s Saturday, Ben,” she said, finally finding her voice. The apologetic look joined his expression again, and he nodded, fiddling with the pair of headphones dangling around his neck.

“I know, and I wouldn’t have thought to bring it up on a weekend, but… Tomorrow I’m traveling for work and I won’t be back until late next Friday.” Ben explained. “I figured, with the summer halfway gone, we might try to do this before it’s too late.” He ran a hand carelessly through his hair, a nervous mannerism Rey found endearing of the massive man. Part of her was embarrassed by how quickly she was willing to give up her weekend morning sleep-in time, but at the moment, sleep was suddenly hard to find.

_He could ask me to run naked into the ocean and I’d do it,_ she thought heatedly. _God, pull it together, Rey!_

“If you’ll give me a few minutes to change into my workout clothes, I can meet you there,” Rey bargained.

Ben shrugged with a nod.

“Works for me. The gym’s in the basement, second door on the right.” He uncrossed his arms and took a step back into the shadowy softness of the carpeted hallway.

She smiled at him with a thumbs-up and gently closed the door.

In the midst of the rush to change and brush her teeth, Rey had the fleeting thought that she should win a medal for hustling so quickly. At least, Finn would say that this was an improvement from her usual routine of grumpy morning mumbles. She grabbed her phone, water bottle, and wireless headphones and made her way to the basement.

The cold air made her arms prickle with goosebumps as she descended the stairs. She was glad she had thrown on a long-sleeved shirt to stay warm until she worked up a sweat. As she opened the door to the gym room, her eyes widened, taking in the spacious room.

Two walls had floor-to-ceiling-length mirrors covering their expanse, and two rows of various exercise machines lined up neatly facing the long side of the room. A shelf in the corner boasted a wide variety of kettlebells and free weights, while one-third of the floor space was reserved for stretching and yoga as evidenced by the small stack of yoga mats curled up in another corner. The widescreen television mounted on one mirrored wall faced two treadmills and was currently tuned into a rerun of some TV show about sharks.

A lone punching bag took ownership of the last corner, and Rey briefly welcomed the fantasy of a sweaty Ben Solo throwing right hooks with a roar in her mind’s eye. It was an unexpected (but definitely welcome) thought, one that she would have to examine further when she was alone later on. She smirked to herself.

For now, though, she had a workout to begin.

Ben was already jogging on one of the two treadmills, panting softly as he listened to whatever music was blasting away in his headphones. He lifted a hand in greeting to her reflection in the mirror. Rey threw him a smile and waved back.

She walked over to the other treadmill and popped her earbuds in, adjusting the volume before starting up her machine.

For the next half hour or so, they jogged in companionable silence, lost in the world of their own music as they warmed up their muscles for the next part of their workout.

Rey found herself alternating between staring absent-mindedly at the TV screen — a mildly-jarring disconnect watching scuba divers observe sharks while Pearl Jam was playing in her ears — and sneaking glances at the man working himself up into a sweat beside her as he kept a rigorous pace on the treadmill.

Disciplined.

That was a good word she would use to describe him. He had an air of discipline about him. She wasn’t sure if it was only confined to his exercise habits, and found herself wishing she could watch him in the courtroom to see if such diligence applied in that scenario as well.

_I bet he’d look amazing in a suit, using big hand gestures to help illustrate his case and growling out, “Objection, your honor!” in that sexy authoritative voice of his,_ Rey thought dreamily before catching herself staring right at his reflection with a hungry look in her eyes.

She immediately averted her gaze and thanked the universe that Ben had been occupied with the TV commercial for the latest Ford pick-up truck. If it had been pointed out to her, she knew she would swear on her life that the blush on her cheeks was from the jog rather than her newest fantasy of Courtroom Ben.

_Yup. I’m fine. Things are fine. We can get through this workout without making fools of ourselves._ She let her inner voice pep talk her through the rest of her warm-up and tried to concentrate on the widescreen TV where several sharks were gnawing through a ragged whale carcass with little finesse.

As they stepped off their respective treadmills and went to other machines strewn about the room, she continued to observe his focus in brief, side-eyed glances as he punched out reps with impressive force.

The muscles in his back rippled with a poetic grace that would have made Michelangelo discard his work on the statue of David and beg to sculpt Ben instead. His dark hair, now damp with sweat, began to curl up at the ends and Rey quelled the urge to interrupt his pull-ups with a friendly ruffle of those dark wavy locks.

Instead, she busied herself with the leg press machine, closing her eyes as Smashmouth crooned in her ears about walking on the sun.

* * *

_Don’t get a hard-on. Don’t get a hard-on. Don’t get a hard-on._

Ben chanted the phrase like a mantra the second Rey walked through the door, her mouth falling open at the sight of the professional set-up of their home gym. He gazed at her freely while she looked around the room. Her black leggings left little to the imagination, wrapped tightly around toned calves and a bouncy, rounded ass. She had tied up her hair in a neat bun, though there were a few tendrils beginning to escape at the base of her neck. He wondered if she might shed her loose, long-sleeved shirt later on and immediately backpedaled from continuing that thought further.

_Nope, nope, nope. Don’t get a hard-on._

_Fuck._

He determined to keep his eyes on the television in front of him or close them completely, letting Nirvana keep his adrenaline up for the rest of his time on the treadmill.

For all his broody introverted nature, Ben could still appreciate working out with someone. When he had first started therapy, he had also decided to take some kickboxing classes, learning how to properly execute kicks and punches without hurting himself. He would forever be grateful to Mitaka, the quiet force of a man who patiently guided his kickboxing forms despite his outbursts of frustration after a bad day or an intense therapy session.

Jogging with Poe was also somewhat nice, once Ben was able to find a way to keep up with the other man’s ceaseless commentary by grunting every now and then. How he could talk and still not be deprived of oxygen while running was something Ben would never understand.

However, Ben had never really exercised with a girl before. Sharing the gym space with other girls who were working out at Antilles Fitness Center on campus during his college years didn’t count. He was ashamed to admit that after Rey had suggested they work out together at some point over the break, he had since searched online for exercises that couples could do together and typed up a list for reference.

As the summer wore on, he wondered if she would make a move or if it would be him taking the initiative to get a joint workout going. When Snoke told him about their rival law firm’s convention in Coruscant and emailed him a PDF of the week’s travel itinerary and objectives, Ben realized he selfishly wanted a little bit of Rey to keep him sane during the time he’d be apart from her.

It was all he could do to hold himself back from taking her into his arms and kissing her forehead when she opened her bedroom door earlier that morning. Was there anyone more cute than a sleepy Rey wrapped up in her comforter? Ben scoffed to himself. _No, there wasn’t._

So now, here they were, jogging side by side, watching some nature program about sharks on TV.

Or at least, _she_ was.

Ben found that his eyes seemed to have a magnetic pull toward the young woman on the machine beside him. She moved with a grace he knew he would never be close to possessing. She made jogging look effortless. And she was so tiny! He was overwhelmed with the sudden urge to benchpress her. And maybe… after she was impressed with his physical prowess, things might take a turn for something more… romantic…

_Shit. Don’t get a hard-on._

Blushing, he looked back towards the TV, trying to find interest in the currently playing commercial where trucks were tearing up dirt roads with excessive amounts of backlit dust and parking on top of snow-white mountain peaks like a vehicular version of Christopher Columbus staking his claim on newly-discovered lands.

They finished jogging and Ben hit out some reps on a few machines before making his way over to the pull-up bar. As he hissed against the burn in his biceps and core with each pull-up, he tried to envision how the conversation would go when he asked Rey to join him in some group (or in this case, couple) exercises. Thankfully, his back faced the rest of the room and the wall housing the pull-up bar wasn’t one of the walls with a mirror, so Ben took the opportunity to refocus, get himself under control, and channel that nervous energy into his reps.

When he finished his fifth rep, he exhaled heavily, removing one of his earbuds and shaking out his arms as he turned around.

“Hey, do you want—”

Ben choked.

Rey had removed her shirt, leaving her clad in a black sports bra, the straps criss-crossing over her back. Smooth, toned muscles and tan skin dotted in freckles made his mouth dry. He remembered what it was like to be up close and personal with those freckles, and his fingers twitched, remembering their act of goodwill in preventing Rey from getting skin cancer.

He continued to stare as she grabbed some spray cleaner off of a small shelf and proceeded to wipe down the machine she had just used. Unbidden, the image of him taking her on that machine popped into his mind’s eye, and he swallowed hard.

_Don’t get a…_

She noticed that he was looking at her and smiled, removing one of her headphones.

“How’s it going?” She propped a hand on her hip, beaming up at him.

“Uh, good. Good.”

_Bad. Really bad. Don’t get a hard-on._

“I was wondering if you wanted to partner up for crunches?” He asked, hating the way his voice rose up almost insecurely at the end of the question.

Rey nodded and jerked her thumb toward the open space in the middle of the room.

“We’re the only ones here to partner up,” she teased, “but yeah, how many reps do you want to do?”

Ben ran a hand through his shaggy damp locks.

“How about three sets of twelve each?” He suggested. She nodded again as he dropped to his knees and gestured to her.

“Ladies first.”

She huffed a small laugh and lay down on her back in front of him. He leaned forward, letting his knees cage both sides of her shoes, and placed his hands firmly on her feet just below her slim ankles.

It was awkward when they first started.

The background noise of the shark program filled the silence. Ben tried to focus on the narration about the swimming patterns of sharks rather than the soft pants and whimpers as Rey exerted herself. He kept his eyes focused on her shoes, a nice pale pink number that, in his opinion, housed delicately small feet. _I bet both of her feet would fit in one hand,_ he smiled faintly to himself.

At the beginning of the third rep, Rey whimpered.

“Fuck, Ben. I can’t.”

He snapped his eyes up to meet her agonized expression and kicked into what he hoped was an encouraging coach-type persona.

“You’ve got this, Rey. Just a few more.”

She nodded even as she flipped him off, slowly crunching out two more before collapsing back on the ground, bringing the heel of her hands to massage her abdomen.

“You’re not done yet,” Ben said firmly while his eyes implored her to finish the last rep.

“Fuck off.” Rey glared at him and managed another three crunches. “Shit.”

Another crunch.

“Poop.”

Two more crunches. And she was done.

Ben let go of her feet and Rey immediately stretched out her legs into his lap, digging the heels of her palms into her protesting stomach muscles as the air left her lungs in a whoosh.

“Thank you,” she panted, “I always get to a point where I don’t think I can pull through, and I need that tough love.”

Ben nodded understandingly. “My kickboxing trainer was like that, too. I cursed him out all the time but I liked that he pushed me through those rough spots.”

Rey’s eyes lit up.

“You’re into kickboxing?” She struggled to sit up and a grimace crossed her face as she was reminded of the current state of her abdomen muscles. “I’ve been taking classes for the past year and a half! Let’s go a few rounds after your reps!” She pushed at his shoulder until he was on his back in front of her. He laughed at her eagerness and adjusted his position, waiting for her to hold down his feet.

Unlike the silence during her reps, Rey kept up a steady stream of conversation.

“Good grief, your feet are _massive!_” The statement exploded from her mouth as she glanced down at his Air Jordans and compared the size of her hands to the length of his shoes.

“Thanks?” He grunted as he polished off one rep with ease. She chattered on about her winning guess during bar trivia night regarding the tallest man in the world and how awful it must have been to be so tall, and wasn’t he glad he was tall, but not that tall? Ben huffed a smile, the thought of Rey being his permanent exercise partner a wistful distraction from the burn in his abdomen.

His last rep began to falter, and Rey immediately switched over into cheerleader mode.

“C’mon Ben! You’re almost there!” Her eyes sparkled with determination and assurance.

“Shit.” The swear exploded from his mouth in a short, neat burst.

“You’re so close!”

He closed his eyes as his face contorted in exercise-induced agony.

“You got this, babe!”

Ben powered through the last three crunches before collapsing back onto the ground. The haze of his cramping muscles made her words register a few seconds late just as he became aware of how Rey’s relaxed stance had changed to that of a statue. _A not-so-convincing statue,_ he raised his brows in confusion as he pushed himself up on his elbows.

“‘Babe’?” He questioned, his breathing ragged while his stomach muscles continued to ache. A blush crept up her chest, reaching all the way up to her ears.

_Interesting._

“I, um…” Rey cast about for words, looking anywhere but him. “Sorry,” she muttered. “Force of habit. I call some of my friends ‘babe’ when we’re cheering for each other at the gym,” she threw him a nervous smile and jumped to her feet. He held out his hand and she took a quick step back to help him up off the floor.

_Okay, relax. She does this often. With her friends. Emphasis on friends. Stop reading into things, Solo._

Another awkward silence descended as his breathing returned to normal. Rey fiddled with the headphones draped around her neck before clearing her throat.

“Kickboxing?” She looked at him hopefully. He turned around to hide his smile at her obvious attempt at changing the subject but refrained from embarrassing her further.

“Gloves are in the box over there,” Ben directed, heading for the door. “I’ll just grab a shield from the hallway.”

With the door shutting softly behind him, he exhaled heavily in the cool basement air as he leaned against the wall.

His traitorous mind brought before him various scenes of everything that could be. He could ring up Rey for jogs at the nature reserve instead of Poe. Morning workouts would be something to look forward to, and maybe afterwards, a sexy shared shower and breakfast in bed. They could get lost at the local summer music festivals, getting drunk on craft beer and swaying to the hazy rhythm of rock ’n’ roll. Scenario after scenario of Rey touching every corner of his life made him desperate for… well… _her._

It would be so _easy_ to fit her into his life. _She_ made it easy. He hadn’t believed that there was someone out there in the world who could draw him in as effortlessly and sincerely as she did.

He squirmed at the unfamiliar feeling blooming in his chest.

Hope.

Maybe something could come of this new friendship, this big vulnerable beast of a relationship with its awkward edges and amiable nature. Maybe she could give him a chance.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, making his way over to the extra kickboxing equipment stored in the alcove under the stairs. There’d be time to examine this possibility later on his trip, when he was away from the sight of her endlessly long legs and the captivating gaze of her twinkling eyes.

He entered the gym and found Rey, gloves securely in place, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet in time to a pop song he wasn’t familiar with blasting on the Bluetooth speakers.

He smirked at her energy and then raised his voice.

“What’s up with the music?”

She grinned back at him and hopped over, catching him playfully on the arm with her glove.

“Do you like Meghan Trainor? She’s got some great hits!”

He shook his head. “Nothing but the classics for me, sweetheart,” he quipped. She shrugged with a wrinkling of her nose.

“I can appreciate the classics too, but get with the times, Mr. Senior Citizen! You’re selling yourself short!” She teased, waiting for him to strap on the kickboxing shield and get into position. He huffed good-naturedly at the name-calling. Two could play this game.

“When we swap positions here, try to keep up, kid,” Ben drawled, enjoying the flush of her cheeks and the narrowing of her eyes at his verbal jab.

“Bring it.”

They sparred for the next half hour or so, trading positions, challenging each other, and spotting kicks and punches. Rey quickly called him out for going easy on her when he strapped on the gloves, and he was surprised at her capability to take what he gave.

He was panting when she called for a break, undoing the straps of the shield and trotting over to her water bottle resting against the wall.

“Nice form,” Rey smiled with an exaggerated toast of her water bottle after a swig. He ducked his head in a modest nod, picking at the Velcro of his gloves.

“You’re not too shabby, yourself.”

His compliment made her beam at him as she motioned for him to pass her the gloves. The sweat on his fingers squeaked on the vinyl covering, causing him to fumble with them.

“Whoops!” Rey reached forward to catch them at the same time Ben attempted to clutch the gloves close to his waist.

The next moment happened in both slow motion and a nano-second. Ben would look back at this, and, if asked the trivial question about which part of his life he would travel back in time to, would answer _this one,_ in order to prevent what happened next.

Her fingers, aiming to close around the gloves, collided into his side instead. Ben was reminded of the little flip-flop one’s stomach gets at the surprise when riding in a fast-moving car as it goes over a small hill and then an immediate dip in the road.

A very unmanly giggle burst from his lips before he could catch himself.

Rey froze.

Ben froze.

Both gloves continued their descent toward the ground, forgotten.

Time was suspended as he watched her fix her eyes on his side, now being guarded by his hands, before letting them slowly travel up his torso, past his collarbone, up his jaw, and finally meeting his own terrified eyes.

“Ben.”

A strange light entered her expression.

“Yes.” He loathed the way his voice betrayed him, wary with a hint of tremble to it.

“Are you… ticklish?” She cocked her head, narrowing her eyes.

“No. Not at all.” He hoped he sounded more confident than he felt.

Like the sun bursting forth from behind the clouds, she grinned at him as she took a step forward. He took a step back.

“You _are!_” She crowed, gleeful at the unexpected discovery, raising her hands and wiggling her fingers in his direction.

Ben shook his head quickly. “I am _not_ ticklish.”

She waggled her eyebrows while continuing to grin, the whole of her expression taking on a deranged tone. They continued their dance of her taking a step forward, him taking a step backward.

“Touch me and die,” Ben warned, the threat hollow as she scoffed.

“You’ve just made my day, Ben Solo,” Rey snickered, advancing on him with lethal grace. “Who would’ve thought that this big, tough manly man giggles when poked in the side?”

He had no comeback for that.

And then she attacked.

Ben was bigger than her. He was stronger than her. And yet she caught him off guard for the first few seconds as he was reduced to a melty puddle of laughter and desperate pleas for her to stop her assault.

Her fingers were the absolute spawn of the devil, wriggling their way under his _ribs_ at some point. _RIP, Ben Solo, death by laughter_ would make an interesting gravestone, he supposed.

“Rey! Fuck! Cut it out!” He gasped, ducking down in an attempt to get out of her grasp. Her laughter mingled with his, mirthful and tinged with a hint of evil.

He tried to fight back, poking into the toned muscles of her waist, but she just shook her head.

“Try all you want; I’m not ticklish there.”

He was confounded and the tickle skirmish paused as he asked, “How—?”

She shrugged. “I really don’t know. It drives Finn crazy, though, that he can’t ever win in a tickle fight against me.”

Then with a grin she was attacking him once again.

“Rey! Stop! This is _so_ immature!” He whined, grabbing her wrists and rolling over top of her. _Finally!_ His abdomen welcomed the break in the assault.

“Says the guy who’s now wrestling me on the ground,” she laughed breathlessly, slipping a wrist free of his hold and tickling him again.

“Shit!” He hissed as she maneuvered herself to hold down his thighs with the weight of her body and squeezed his sides with those devilish fingers of hers.

The shift of power continued until he eventually hefted his body on top of hers and pinned both wrists up above her head and away from his poor, aching sides.

“So I win?” She grinned cheekily up at him, her cheeks flushed from laughing so hard at his suffering. He heaved out a tired laugh but fixed her with a stern look.

“You are _such_ a brat.”

“I won’t tell your secret,” she vowed with a wink.

“Oh really?” He asked sarcastically. She pressed her lips together in an impish smile.

“Well…”

He sighed. “Fine, what’s your price?”

It was then that it occurred to both of them as to what position they were in.

Ben’s thighs framed her waist. His torso was stretched out over top of hers, with one arm outstretched to hold her wrists together. The other hand rested beside her cheek, and if he just moved it a bit closer, he could tug on the loose locks that had escaped her updo.

She peered up at him with wide eyes. _Huh._ Even up close he couldn’t tell if they were green or brown or… what was the word for the _mix_ of those two colors? His brain had stopped working upon realizing just how close his body was to hers, so he gave up. _Useless._ His gaze darted down to her lips as a bit of tongue slid across, wetting them before she bit down on the bottom lip nervously.

Time was suspended once again. It could have been hours. The rational part of his mind piped up that it was probably just minutes, maybe a handful of seconds, really. The romantic part of his mind told reason to shut up and get the hell out of their moment.

It felt right.

Maybe this was the chance he was hoping for. He tried to ignore the fluttering in his stomach as he took in a breath.

“Um… Rey… I—“

“I thought I heard some noise in here.”

They both jerked apart — Ben’s head lifted up to see Han poking his head through the door just as Rey twisted her head around to get an upside-down view of his father’s lopsided grin.

“Who’s winning?” Han asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Ben immediately rolled off of her, averting his gaze. Rey got to her feet, the blush still there in her cheeks but the mischievous light back in her eyes.

“Ben’s ticklish!” She blurted out happily like a cat proudly bringing in a dead creature from who-knows-where and laying it down at its owner's feet.

“Traitor,” Ben glowered at her unrepentant grin.

“I know he’s ticklish,” Han nodded, his gravelly voice laced with nostalgic humor, “I used to tickle him so much he’d pee his pants!” They both laughed while Ben rolled his eyes with a huff.

“Daaad…”

_Yup, the moment is gone. Spoiled by my dad and his impeccable timing and big mouth._ Ben shook his head internally while the romantic part of his brain sulked in the corner.

“He didn’t do that this time,” Rey shared conspiratorially, poking Ben’s side once more. His hand darted up in a reflex of protection.

“Thank God,” Han deadpanned, clapping Ben on the back, “We just take it one day at a time, huh, son?”

“Stop lying,” Ben muttered, shrugging off his hand. “This is defamation of character.”

Rey snorted.

“Well, ya better get a move on,” his father held open the door for both of them. “Your mom’s starting breakfast and then she has some errands for you to run before you take off tomorrow.”

“I should shower before scaring everyone else away with my stench,” Rey jokingly sniffed her armpits before slinging her shirt over her shoulders. “See you at breakfast?” She asked, already halfway up the stairs before she turned around to look at him and Han.

“Yeah, see you in a few.” He watched her face brighten before she disappeared from sight. He breathed out pensively before a movement caught his eye.

Turning his head, his fists clenched at the man responsible for his most recent encounter with embarrassment, the man who was currently sporting a knowing smirk.

Ben scowled.

“Don’t you fucking dare, Dad.”

His father held up his hands in a placating gesture. “I’m not the one who wants grandchildren so soon.”

Ben groaned, running a hand over his sweaty face. _Going back to therapy might be worth wiping that stupid grin off his face,_ he thought murderously.

“I’m gonna go shower.”

He made sure to stomp on the stairs with extra force.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. This was challenging to write, partially because I don’t know too much about exercise and kickboxing lingo (heh, I did do some good ol’ Google research) and partially because The Rise Of Skywalker absolutely crushed me. I cried off and on for the rest of the afternoon when I got home from the theater. Some children also cried when Ben died and my heart went out to them. Good luck to the parents trying to explain that one.
> 
> For a few days I was in a state of depression and it was difficult to write when I knew that Ben Solo was… well, gone, in canon. I’ve loved reading all the TROS fix-its (such a soothing balm for my aching heart!) and I’ll probably write my own fix-it fic later when more time has passed.
> 
> I’ve also been experimenting with my writing style, which has resulted in me becoming more picky and taking more time to work through character interactions, inner mental bits, and general writing rules. I know it’s not all sparkling with grammatical correctness yet. Please forgive the errors I haven’t caught.
> 
> Thank you so much for your patience and for reading!


	6. Interlude With Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Rose bond over junk food and girl talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Non-beta'd, characters don't belong to me, I miss Ben Solo, etc.

“Don’t forget the chips and popcorn when I come for you tonight!” Rose called over her shoulder as she headed out with Finn and the dogs in tow.

“I won’t!” Rey smiled, waving good-bye with a smirk at Finn’s panicked look as the opportunity to be alone with his crush looked him dead in the eye.

Rose had been talking about getting together for a sleepover for a couple weeks now, and finally, it was happening.

_Perfect timing, too,_ Rey thought wryly as she closed the heavy oak door. With Han and Leia traveling for a conference and Ben being gone for work, the enormous house was a little _too_ quiet for her taste.

Rose had suggested they have a sleepover after her shift at the yoga studio when Poe had urged Finn to “join the bros” for the monthly monster truck rally night in the neighboring town. He had been called away to Chandrila for an “unexpected” aviation department meeting that morning – _“Seriously, who has meetings for the next academic year in the middle of the summer?” Poe had complained facetiously when Finn pointed out that it had probably been scheduled and Poe was just being a dick trying to play hooky_ – and had promised to pick Finn and the dogs up at Maz’s Diner on the way to the rally if Rose could drop him off there.

Rey looked at the time on her phone. She had a few more hours to kill before Rose would pick her up.

The house was painfully silent. Somewhere in another room the steady tick-tock of a grandfather clock metered out the passing of time.

She padded up the stairs with slow, measured steps, lost in thought.

For the past couple days, she had replayed their workout like a glorious, horrifying, movie in her head. The glorious parts were easy to remember — all that pale, lickable, exposed skin on a handsome, dark-haired man, along with the incredible, chance-of-a-lifetime discovery of his ticklish ribs. In the days that followed, she had to push down the smile that would prompt her friends to ask questions whenever she thought of the giggle bursting from those plush lips that had sealed his fate.

The horrifying parts were… cringeworthy, and they just kept getting worse every single time her brain brought them up again. “_Babe”? Really? How could you slip up like that and call him “babe”?! You are such an idiot,_ Rey groaned, having reached her bedroom and throwing herself down on the unmade bed in a fit of self-loathing.

“Fuck!” She let the expletive fill the space, thankful for once that no one was around to hear her foul mouth.

_Idiot, idiot, idiot. Why don’t you just broadcast your crush to the whole world via Facebook Live while mashing your lips to his in front of everyone he knows?_

Rey sat up and glared at her reflection in the floor-length mirror across the room. Her reflection stared right back with equal amounts of fire. With a heavy sigh and a shake of her head, and Rey flopped back down.

It was truly _frustrating_ to have all these feelings for a cute guy like Ben Solo and be unable to make heads or tails of his reaction. Sometimes he seemed to warm up to her, and other times he seemed to hold her at an arm’s length. _Was it work that was distracting him? Was _she_ the distraction from his work?_

Scouring his body language and over-analyzing his words was addictively unhealthy, adding an undercurrent of stress to an otherwise incredible summer vacation. If Rey had a superpower, it would be the ability to read other people’s minds. That was the only way she could survive declining dates from mediocre men and wasting time on debating whether or not the hot ones would give her a second look. She snorted at her shallow reasoning.

Her mind jumped forward to her favorite part of the ‘movie,’ the part where Ben suddenly remembered he was a very strong man and demonstrated as such. She could still feel the way his weight rested on her thighs; solid and reassuring, yet wrought with tension. She remembered the way his large, warm hand firmly covered her wrists, the large veins in his palm throbbing faintly against her skin.

And his eyes. His oh-so-expressive eyes. Rey briefly wondered how he could be a successful lawyer if his emotions played out on his face so clearly.

First there was confusion in his stare. The tilt of his head reminded her of a puppy, a slightly lost look in his eyes and the unspoken question of _Wait, what?_ hanging between them.

Then realization entered his expression in the millisecond of time it took for both of them to freeze in the positions they found themselves in. Rey could have laughed if it weren’t for the delicacy of the situation, so she had refrained, waiting to see what he would do next.

She watched him breathlessly, fascinated with the way the fluorescent lighting played off of the green in his eyes. _God, maybe he’ll kiss me!_ The thought paraded itself loudly inside her head and she feared that the man hovering above her may very well have heard it.

Maybe he had.

Because in the next moment, she had unconsciously licked her lips, and as his eyes caught the motion, the look switched on a dime to burn dark with sinful, delicious _heat._

_This is fucking IT!_ Her brain screeched, and she fought down the urge to purse her lips beseechingly at him.

Rey shifted on the bed as she replayed that part over and over again. She didn’t have to reach a hand down into her pants to know that she was wet. But on the other hand, she _was_ alone in a big, empty mansion…

The memory of Han Solo interrupting them made Rey scowl in sexual frustration.

“Not in _my_ movie,” she grumbled, throwing all pretense aside and unbuttoning her pants. Her imagination happily took over as her fingers slipped ungracefully over her clit.

In the continuation of their moment, sans Ben’s father, fantasy-Rey let fantasy-Ben’s hand come up to caress her cheek before he leaned down to press his lips to hers almost chastely.

But fantasy-Rey was having none of that.

With a wicked smirk against his lips, she freed her wrists from his hold — not that he wasn’t trying very hard to keep her away from his ribs anymore — and rolled them over, settling her slit directly onto his groin, and ground into the quickly-hardening bulge in his shorts.

Fantasy-Ben groaned, the sound so desperate that real-life-Rey let out a moan of her own as her fingers dipped inside.

_“You’re so damn wet, Rey,”_ she imagined Ben whispering in awe as his fingers touched her, now unimpeded by clothing. _When did they get naked? Whatever._

Rey felt her climax growing, and willed the fantasy to continue matching her pace.

By now fantasy-Ben had bared his beautiful cock to her eyes, long and thick and throbbing when she tried to wrap her hand around him. He stole her gasp with his lips as he pushed inside, pulling away only to glance down at where they had just joined, uttering a reverent, _“Fuck.”_

Rey whined, her fingers moving faster, legs trembling slightly. She had never been more thankful for her filthy mind helping her find release after the constant barrage of sexual tension over the last couple months. _If I was closer to my suitcase I could grab my vibrator,_ Rey thought briefly.

_Next time._ She was close.

Fantasy-Ben’s eyes stared deep into her soul as his thrusts sped up. Fantasy-Rey shoved her fingers into his sweat-dampened hair, watching it curl around her digits. She could almost taste the sweat on her tongue even as she imagined the sheen of it sliding around on their skin, making it easy to move against each other as their ends drew near. She heard their ragged breathing sync up; felt the way he seemed to get even harder inside her as he pistoned in and out with single-minded ferocity. And then he smirked at her with one low-voiced command:

_“Come for me, Rey.”_

“Holy shit!” Rey shrieked, her hips bucking against her hand as the coil snapped. Lights flashed behind her eyelids and her muscles tensed for what seemed like hours as wave after wave of bliss drowned her in what was most likely the greatest self-induced orgasm she’d ever had.

Finally, the aftershocks subsided into the hum of a contented glow. Rey struggled to even out her breathing and calm the pounding of her heart. Even her brain seemed to be impressed with how stimulatory that fantasy was, making a promise to revisit that again at a later date.

_Pat on the back for Rey Niima,_ she thought dryly, then groaned. She was _so_ fucked.

Glancing at the alarm clock on the bedside table, she heaved a sigh and pushed herself up onto wobbly legs. There was still enough time for a shower before Rose stopped by to pick her up.

_Care to explore a fantasy about you and Ben in the shower?_ Her mind offered eagerly. Rey rolled her eyes at her libido but didn’t argue.

It was only after she was showered and dressed that she remembered Ben had tried to say something before they were interrupted. The look on his face had changed into something that made him seem… vulnerable, something like that of wistful longing. It was a far cry from the confident swagger she’d seen earlier during their workout.

As Rey dragged the wide-toothed comb through her hair, she debated whether or not to ask Ben about that when he came back.

* * *

“Paige says chili flakes and garlic powder is the way to go! How are you with spice?” Rose asked over the sound of popping corn.

Rey dumped her duffle bag beside the couch and turned toward the kitchen. “I can handle chili flakes, I think.”

Rose made a noise of approval and opened a cupboard. Swiveling around, she spotted the other girl by the sink and immediately pointed above and behind her.

“Since you’re the tallest person between the two of us, I’m going to delegate you to reaching all the things on the top shelves,” she giggled, “like the big bowl up there for the popcorn, if you don’t mind.”

Rey grinned and gamely reached up to bring down the bright red plastic bowl. She raised an eyebrow at the scuff marks on the vessel but said nothing as she passed it to Rose.

“It’s a family heirloom,” Rose joked, noticing her friend’s odd look. “Paige always used it for her sleepovers and then when I was old enough to join in or have my own sleepovers, I used it too – always for popcorn! – and so it’s weathered all sorts of dishwasher abuse and several moves from house to dorm.”

“I see.”

“Paige says it has character. We even named it – Big Red. Original, I know.”

Rey relaxed in the warm light of the kitchen as Rose chattered on about various traditions and highlights of sleepovers past. Hanging out with Finn was always fun, but she realized how much she’d missed out on having girl time with friendly, welcoming girls like Rose.

Her foster care experiences had often brought out the worst in other girls living with her. It was a catty, petty environment, and Rey had survived by keeping to herself and only swinging actual punches when pushed into a corner. The rest of the time she ignored the verbal jabs and muttered insults from the girls at school, trying not to dwell on such negativity later as she bandaged her heart tightly against the prickles of their words.

College was somewhat better, as if the girls she had gone to high school with had woken up from a bad dream of behaving like selfish airheads and now understood what virtues like kindness and compassion were. She didn’t buy into it for the most part, remembering too well how some of them had treated her just a few years prior. However, a few managed to surprise her with their authenticity of change, and she ventured into those friendships with cautious optimism.

Rose was nothing like the other girls, and for that, Rey was grateful. She could see a long-lasting friendship in the cards, and she was already shipping her best friend with the petite woman, so it would be a win-win for everyone involved as far as Rey was concerned.

“So do you have any movies in mind that you wanna watch?” Rose leaned against the countertop while they waited for one more bag of popcorn to finish popping in the microwave. Rey shook her head.

“I, uh, didn’t really watch a lot of movies in foster care, so I wouldn’t know what’s good.” She braced herself for the pitying look and awkward words she was sure Rose would throw her way.

Instead, the girl hummed thoughtfully, then walked past Rey into the living room, her ponytail bouncing.

“You’ll like this one!” Rose pulled up Netflix and typed in a few letters into the search bar. “It’s about a cute girl who ends up owning everyone in law school! Frickin’ hilarious and empowering all within ninety minutes! Such a classic.”

Rey grinned, catching onto the other girl’s enthusiasm.

“My sister would watch it because of the cute guy,” Rose wiggled her eyebrows conspiratorially, “but then later on she told me that cute guys aren’t everything – You need to look past that and examine the way they treat others around them. She said it applies to everyone, really, but to especially remember that when I’m around a cute guy because the cuteness can be distracting.”

“Your sister sounds really smart,” Rey nodded, hating the way her voice wavered just a touch at the end. _Wishing for siblings who’ll watch movies with you and share advice with you about boys won’t do you any good right now,_ she told herself sternly. She squashed down the rising bubble of ugly jealousy that she knew was one-hundred percent unnecessary.

“She is,” Rose grinned proudly. “I miss her a lot, but I know she’s going to ace her internship this summer. She’s going to try to find work here in Chandrila when she comes back.”

“Awesome,” Rey gave her a quick thumbs-up and what she hoped was a smile, not a grimace.

“Anywho, get comfy!” Rose invited, waving a hand toward the thick stack of blankets beside the coffee table. “I’ll just grab the popcorn and snacks and then we can get started.”

Rey plopped down on one end of the couch with a periwinkle blue blanket that felt like a cozy cloud. She checked her phone for texts once more before placing it down on the coffee table and reaching forward to crack the tab ona can of soda.

The next hour and a half was spent giggling and rolling their eyes at the adventures of the petite blonde character. Rey bit her tongue to keep from speaking the thought out loud when she saw the cute guy Rose had referenced – _He kind of looks like Ben. But Ben is cuter, _she decided with a blush.

They wiped out the huge bowl of popcorn plus a bag of sour cream and onion chips, tortilla chips and salsa, a couple packets of Haribo gummy worms, half a package of Oreo Thins, and two cans of tropical Fanta each. Rey could have confessed her love to Rose when the doorbell rang midway through the movie, announcing the arrival of a large stuffed crust pizza and garlic knots.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for eating healthy,” Rose said in between chews of melty mozzarella and spicy pepperoni, “but when it’s girls’ night, anything goes and everything is guilt-free.”

Rey just grinned around a mouthful of stuffed crust and raised her Fanta in a toast.

After the movie had finished and the girls had demonstrated their own ridiculous takes of the infamous “bend and snap” moment with many a laugh, the rest of the food was put away and dishes were stacked in the dishwasher. Faces were cleansed, toned, and moisturized, teeth were brushed, and the coffee table was pushed to the side as layers of blankets, comforters, and pillows sprawled out over the living room floor. Rose turned out the light but fiddled with something in the corner, and after a few seconds, the ceiling was dotted with a sprinkling of mock-constellations, glowing and blinking softly.

Rey could feel her muscles lose their tension as she melted into the nest of waffle-woven cotton and goose down feathered pillows. Rose slipped under the blankets beside her and huffed out a contented sigh.

For a moment, silence descended comfortably between the two as they lay on their backs, watching the “stars” ebb and flow the way real stars winked in the night sky.

“So what’s the deal with you and Ben?”

Rey winced as her friend turned onto her side to face her.

“What do you mean?” She asked cautiously. Rose snorted. Even in the dark, Rey could feel the other girl’s _don’t-bullshit-me_ look piercing through her.

“I wing-womaned you earlier this summer when we went swimming; you don’t need to hide it from me.”

Rey looked at her friend sheepishly. Mirroring Rose’s posture, she played with the edge of her blanket as she searched for words.

“I met him at one of Poe’s parties. But if I’m being honest, he captivated me before I met him. Poe would tell these stories about him and Ben growing up and, even though a lot of them were told at Ben’s expense, I couldn’t help but pick up on the standoffishness and perhaps loneliness he might have experienced.” She chewed on her lip as a blush rose to her cheeks.

“It sounds silly, but I just… felt this _connection._ It exploded into a stronger connection at the party when I saw how out of place he looked and I just had to go up and talk to him.” She chuckled at the memory. “I probably creeped him out or confused him with how much I knew about him due to Poe’s stories. But… I had such a good time talking with him that night…” Rey said softly.

“I didn’t really know that his house was the place we’d be spending our summer vacation with, but when I figured it out, I thought I might be able to have more of those moments with him, and maybe…” Her voice trailed off awkwardly, embarrassed at what she was afraid she might be implying.

Rose was quiet for a moment.

“Well you’re right on that count. Ben’s always been a loner, and kind of shy – probably because he was an only child and all that. Growing up together was a bit of a challenge for him because he had to learn to share his life, and having to share with someone like Poe?” She laughed. “He was basically competing with the embodiment of the perfect son who was instantly charming and at ease with others – all the things Ben wasn’t.”

Rey frowned. “Yeah, I kind of picked up on that from Poe.”

“I’d give Poe credit though,” Rose countered, “I think he grew somewhat self-aware of their differences in college and began to stick up for him in various social situations. Whether or not he went about it in a way that didn’t embarrass Ben further remains to be seen.”

Both girls giggled at the thought of Poe being anything different than his flamboyant, dramatic self.

“I’ll tell ya, though,” Rose continued, the faint glow of the nightlight down the hall backlighting her silhouette to Rey, “Ben had a girlfriend in college for a couple months, and brought her home for Thanksgiving break – god, I felt so bad for him.”

“What happened?” Rey leaned forward.

“She was a bitch.” Rose replied simply. “Bazine was a high-maintenance bitch who found out Ben came from old money and latched onto him. He was smitten with her, and endured all the teasing from his parents and Maz and the other family friends he grew up with, but then she let it slip during Thanksgiving dinner how she couldn’t wait to share in his portfolio and Leia pounced on her immediately. Ben got angry at his mom’s accusations, Bazine was offended but totally guilty, Han was cursing…”

“Fuck,” Rey exhaled in a whoosh.

“Yeah, it was a huge disaster. He and Bazine left right after dinner and he broke up with her when they got back to campus.” Rose turned onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. “After that, he would date casually but never mention where he was from or to whom he was related to. Then he got caught up in Snoke’s business, and his mentor told him to take on a different name for his career.”

“A different name?”

“Yeah, Kylo Ren. Paige was on jury duty for one of his cases and she said he was absolutely ruthless in the court room. He ignored her the whole time, too, as if he didn’t know who she was.”

Rey shivered as she pictured Ben with cold, calculating eyes and a snarl permanently etched on his face. It was so different from the man she had had encounters with over the past several months.

Absent-mindedly, her hand came up to rest over her heart at the small aching pressure that had begun to persist. On one hand, Rey was irritated. What kind of person would choose to isolate himself from what she had observed to be a loving set of parents and good friends? It was everything she had dreamed of as she was passed around in Jakku’s foster care system like an inconvenience. She never belonged; was never given the invitation to consider herself a part of any of her foster families.

_It doesn’t matter,_ she realized. One could have all these things and still be lonely. It was instinctive to recognize from the time she saw him at Poe’s party. She knew what it felt like to be surrounded and yet alone. And Ben Solo, for all of his good looks, friends, family, and successful career, was still lonely. She had seen it in his eyes when he looked down at her for the first time in that crowded living room.

“Rose,” Rey took in a deep breath, “I like him. I don’t know if I’ll be able to figure out whether he likes me back or not, but I really like him and I don’t want to mess things up or end the summer with him hating me.”

The other girl’s laugh broke the quiet in the cozy living room.

“Believe me, Rey, Ben would never hate you.” Rose chuckled. “I mentioned Bazine to you because, even though Ben was head over heels for her back then, nothing compares to the way I’ve seen him look at you.”

Rey’s adrenaline went from zero to eighty as her heart threatened to leap out of her chest at her friend’s observation.

“Really?” She hated the way her voice sounded so insecure.

“Really.” Rose confirmed. She turned onto her side momentarily.

“Here.” Rose tapped out something on her phone. Rey squinted at the light from her own phone screen as it buzzed with a notification. After bypassing her lock screen, she snorted at the text.

“‘Ben With The Good Hair’? Seriously?”

Rose shrugged. “Reach out to him sometime this week. He’ll love it, I promise.”

The two girls settled back into their blanket nest and a few moments of silence filled the space.

“Oh, and I’m rooting for you, in case that wasn’t clear enough,” Rose said, reaching over to give Rey’s hand a small squeeze. “I’ll wing-woman you every chance you get.”

Rey’s heart warmed as she blinked back the prickle of tears. She had a friend. An incredibly insightful and caring friend in this petite woman named Rose.

And tomorrow, she’d have a text message to craft.

* * *

It was 9:40am and Ben Solo was bored out of his mind. He had already pulled out a pen to doodle lightsaber designs in the margins of the program notes that had been passed out before the seminar started. A man several seats away sneezed, breaking the droning monotony of the speaker’s voice. Behind him, a cellphone beeped with a message notification. He could sense the rustling of fabric as others turned to glare at the attendee who had forgotten to silence his phone.

As the man on stage continued to talk in the most droll fashion about the exciting initiatives within the world of law, Ben wrestled with the growing feeling he’d had over the past month.

This world he had trained ruthlessly for under Snoke had been his pride and joy after he had graduated from university. It had given him purpose. He loved the feeling of winning case after case.

But lately, his heart was turning. And he couldn’t understand why he didn’t feel as betrayed by it as he thought he’d be. All of his other dates and the few one-night stands he’d messed around with had been strictly compartmentalized and monitored. Anything to do with his family was also carefully tracked and given second priority over his job at Snoke & Bradshaw Law Inc. Snoke liked his work ethic, and Ben had determined to keep it that way.

Yet… Rey.

She had managed to somehow get under his skin in the best way possible. He welcomed her light, the way her eyes sparkled when she gestured animatedly when discussing a topic she was passionate about. He could imagine her seamlessly fitting in with his parents – they would adore her and she would love them right back. He could picture movie nights in with her tucked up against his side; a perfect fit.

He sighed softly.

This was exactly what he had pushed away in the past, this meaningless pastime spent on daydreaming about things that weren’t important.

_Is it really unimportant?_ His mind questioned knowingly.

Ben felt his phone buzz in his pocket.

He shifted in his seat, pulling out the slim device. _Unknown Number._ Ben frowned at his screen, briefly going back and forth between ignoring it before curiosity got the better of him.

_Hi Ben, it’s rey niima. hope u don’t mind that i got ur # from rose. Was wondering if you’d be interested in going camping on that small island with us in a couple weekends? I know i could’ve asked you when u got back but we’re already making plans & i wanted to keep u in the loop. :-p_

Ben blinked down at his phone for a hot minute. So many emotions coursed through him in the span of five seconds. _First of all, thank you, Rose,_ he bit down on his lip to keep the goofy grin off of his face as he re-read Rey’s text.

As if on cue, another text notification made his phone buzz against his palm.

_Ur welcome. Now go get ‘em, tiger. ;-)_

Shit. Rose knew. Was he that obvious?

The room felt like it was getting warmer. Ben cleared his throat and shifted again in his seat before going back to Rey’s message.

_Hi Rey, thanks for the invitation. I’ll see if I can get the time off. No promises yet. But thanks for thinking of me._

He hesitated before sending the message, then added more before he could lose his nerve.

_How have you been?_

Her response was immediate, and for the rest of the seminar, Ben felt his boredom slip away as the girl he’d been missing all week carried on their text conversation with enthusiasm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol I looked up how legal it is to change your name solely for work. Obviously women can use their maiden names for work even if they marry later on but… For the sake of fan fiction let’s just pretend this is ok. :p
> 
> I wished we had seen more interactions between Rose and Rey in TROS. This chapter was a bit of a modern take on how they would have behaved as friends. I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Also, who can sympathize with Rey replaying her crush reel and slamming herself for messing up with something like calling Ben “babe”? Lol don’t worry, it’ll get better soon.
> 
> Thanks so much for being patient with my sporadic updates! I’ve got more coming up in a bit.


	7. Aunt Flo Visits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls get an unexpected visitor.

Ben Solo was in a good mood. The conference was over, he had proofread and sent off his report to Snoke before his continental breakfast at the hotel, his flight had arrived fifteen minutes early, and his Uber smelled decent for once.

On top of that, he was going to see Rey again. Uncaring of whether the Uber driver saw him or not, he allowed himself a tiny grin.

It had been nothing short of a miracle that he had been able to extrapolate all of the relevant information from the various programs Snoke had told him to attend while carrying on enjoyable text threads with Rey for the duration of the seminar.

She told him how her sleepover with Rose had gone – he vaguely remembered college-age Poe forcing him to watch the movie Rey talked about – and in turn, he treasured her amused responses to his dry account of the meetings he was attending.

They had even gotten into a little match with one of the in-app games where they came up against each other in mini golf, pool, and chess. Ben maintained his argument that the only reason he lost to pool was because his fingers were too big for the screen and that he could totally beat her at real pool if she wanted to play fair.

He chuckled to himself as he remembered reading the colorful string of swear words she had unleashed at his insinuation that she hadn’t played fairly. How was it that even competing with her was enjoyable?

The Uber rounded the bend in the road and came upon the familiar villa. Ben drummed his fingers nervously on his knee.

It was one thing to be texting with Rey, neatly contained in the small world that was his phone. It would be another thing to interact with her in person again. Would she address him just as playfully to his face as she did in their text conversations? Would they perhaps share another workout together, maybe take late night swims in the pool?

He shook his head at the persistent daydreams.

_One thing at a time, Solo. First, you need to just… feel things out and then go from there._

With a curt nod to the Uber driver, Ben shut the door, picked up his carry-on, and walked up the steps to the front door, eager to escape the sizzling heat that felt as though it could boil him alive.

The first sign that not all was right was the silence that greeted him when he stepped inside.

_Where is everybody?_ Ben wondered, remembering how Rey had texted him the night before that Rose was coming over for movie night at their place and that they’d be chilling indoors to beat the heat wave predicted in the weather forecast the next day.

He toed off his shoes and left his carry-on and laptop bag in the foyer, listening intently for any signs of life.

Agitated whispers were coming from the kitchen. Narrowing his eyes, Ben walked until he entered the communal space.

He was not expecting to see Finn leaning against the countertop, holding up a small bag of ice to his forehead while Poe dug around in the first aid kit.

“What the fuck happened?” Ben asked in confusion.

“Hi to you, too,” Poe mumbled, focused on a bottle of Neosporin and several sizes of band-aids.

“Keep your voice down,” Finn added lowly, darting a furtive glance in the direction of the stairs.

“Alright buddy, let me see,” Poe tilted Finn’s chin down as his friend took away the ice pack. Ben winced in sympathy with Finn’s yelp as Poe spritzed the antibiotic onto a sizable cut that almost extended the length of Finn’s eyebrow.

“Again, what happened?” Ben repeated, drawing near to the other two. Poe held up a hand, indicating for Ben to wait until after he was finished taking care of Finn’s wound. The tall, dark-haired traveler rolled his eyes but crossed his arms, watching Poe dab gingerly at the cut before peeling a band-aid and placing it carefully on his friend’s head.

As Finn put the bag of ice back onto the now-covered cut, Poe responded, “Rey hit Finn.”

“The fuck?!”

Ben glared at both of the men who shushed him frantically.

“Both girls got their periods this morning,” Poe whispered as he threw away the band-aid wrapper and packed up the first aid kit. “We were all passed out in the den after the movie last night and when we woke up, the girls were unpleasantly surprised by, uh, the start of their cycles.” He gestured awkwardly to his abdomen. “Neither of them were prepared, they said, and when Rose asked us to go to the store and get supplies for them, Finn said he’d need a list and then for whatever reason, Rey got mad at him and threw an empty soda can at his head.”

“Part of the tab was sharp and it cut me,” Finn whispered solemnly.

“Then they both burst into tears and went upstairs to lock themselves in Rey’s room.” Poe finished worriedly.

“I’ve helped Rey out as much as she’d let me before whenever she’d be going through this,” Finn remarked, “but I’ve never seen her get angry and react like this. I’m honestly a little scared of her right now.”

“You and me both, buddy,” Poe shivered.

Ben shook his head. “This is ridiculous. Just go upstairs, ask them again about what kind of things they need, we go out and get it, voila! Problem solved.”

“You can’t simplify this, Ben,” Finn insisted. “Poe and I googled it! There are so many kinds of feminine products, plus all the things they need to put on their bodies to help pain, plus the meds, plus the foods they need to eat— It’s a world in which we have no experience!”

“Where’s your mom when we need her,” Poe groaned.

“Where _is_ my mom?” Ben asked just as he caught sight of the note on the fridge.

Pulling it free of the magnet depicting Virdugo Plunge in Naboo (he had loathed that visit because his dad had forgotten to pack a change of clothes and 11-year-old Ben had gotten soaked and then had come down with a cold for the rest of their vacation), he read aloud, “Han and Ben, I’m meeting with my campaign managers in Endor for a few days. You’re in charge of feeding our guests. There are fixings for kebabs and barbecue in the fridge or you can order out from Maz’s.”

“Han’s at the garage right now,” Finn commented with a sigh.

“We’re all alone with two crazy hormonal women,” Poe moaned with a hint of fear in his voice. Ben rolled his eyes again and went over to the small desk where Leia kept her cookbook. Digging out his mom’s keys from the drawer, he tossed them to Poe.

“Get in the car and start running the A/C.” He ordered. “I’ll go upstairs and get a list of what they need and then we’ll go to the store.”

“Be careful, Ben,” Poe hissed, pointing to Finn’s forehead.

“Fuck off and get going.” Ben scowled as he turned toward the stairs, grabbing a bottle of Tylenol from the medicine cabinet as he went.

Hopefully Rey wouldn’t throw anything at _his_ head, he thought as he bit his lip nervously.

_Use your calm voice,_ he could hear his mother saying soothingly to a young Ben who would break down in fits of anger and frustration from the latest argument or fight of the day he had had at elementary school.

_Right. I’ll just… use my calm voice._ Ben swallowed the lump in his throat as he arrived in front of Rey’s bedroom door and raised his hand to knock.

* * *

“I can’t fuckin’ move.” Rose groaned, her face contorted in an unnatural grimace as both girls curled up on the tiled floor of Rey’s bathroom. “Why is it so bad this time?”

“I’ve heard about how girls sometimes sync up together,” Rey whimpered, “so maybe that’s why I’m in the worst pain ever.”

“If that’s the case, then I hate you so much.” Rose growled, then teared up. “Fuck, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!” The apologies began to flow from her lips and Rey’s eyes leaked their own fluids down the sides of her cheeks.

They had exactly one tampon left between them.

Much to Rey’s dismay, she had awoken to cramps in her lower abdomen around the same time Rose gasped at her own discovery of the arrival of Aunt Flo. It was more painful than Rey had ever experienced before, and her brain hurt from bouncing back and forth between the question of wondering why it hurt so much and thoughts of killing every male in range while clearing out the chocolate aisle of the closest grocery store. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Rey knew she owed Finn an apology for throwing something at his head — She just couldn’t remember what it was.

They had both staggered up the stairs amid tears and moans, and, per Rose’s suggestion, had collapsed in an exhausted heap on the cold tile floor of the bathroom in case they leaked through their pajamas. Rey had fumbled around in her toiletries bag and had come up with three tampons.

They took turns using the bathroom and cleaning themselves up. Rose had poked her head out, apologetically asking to borrow a clean pair of underwear from Rey, her face unusually pale for the sunny-dispositioned girl.

And now here they were once again, tears silently tracking down their cheeks as they huddled on the bathroom floor.

“I have extra tampons and pads at home,” Rose sighed, “but it would be faster if the guys could just go to the pharmacy down by the gas station and pick stuff up for us.”

“I can’t believe I forgot to stock up after last month’s period,” Rey shook her head, closing her eyes as she leaned back against the countertop of the sink. “I’m usually prepared.”

“Shit happens,” her friend replied, also leaning back against the wall opposite her and closing her eyes.

Silence floated through the pain-filled atmosphere between them.

“So… How about we attempt to go downstairs and look for meds?” Rose cracked an eye open.

Rey moaned, passing a hand over her clammy skin. “Gimme like ten minutes. Maybe the pain will die down in a bit and allow me to actually move.”

A knock on the bedroom door alerted them to the presence of the outside world.

“If it’s the boys, I’m not in the mood for pity,” Rose muttered. Rey nodded in agreement and raised her voice.

“Go away!”

“Rey?” A voice she hadn’t heard in a week floated through the wall. “It’s me, Ben. I’ve got some Tylenol here, if that will help.”

The girls looked at each other, tears springing to their eyes at his thoughtful gesture.

“I _knew_ there was a reason I liked him,” Rose choked out emotionally as Rey struggled to her feet with a whimper to unlock the door.

Later on, Rey would look back on this moment and blame her hormones for her actions, but the second the door swung open and a concerned Ben stood with a small bottle of Tylenol offered up in one hand, she launched herself into his arms with a sob.

* * *

Ben didn’t know what to expect when the door opened, certainly not a crying woman who was currently nuzzling her nose into his left pec.

“Hey, hey, hey, easy now,” Ben soothed, wrapping his arms around her and rubbing her back with one, large, warm palm. “Is there anything I can do?”

_God, she’s so tiny!_

“This wasn’t the meet-up I had in mind,” Rey blubbered into his shirt, “but everything’s just so fucking _painful!_”

“It’s okay, we can hang out later,” Ben reasoned, trying not to get swept away by the feeling of how right she felt in his arms. She was in pain and he was there to help her feel better. “The guys and I are going to the pharmacy, so what can we get you? And where’s Rose?” He asked, walking her backwards into the room like a pair of awkward crabs locked in a hug.

He met the other girl’s tired gaze over the top of Rey’s head as he peered into the bathroom.

“Ah.”

“Hi Ben,” Rose waved weakly from her position on the floor.

“Hey Rose. Sorry you’re not, uh, feeling well.”

“Ben, you’re a saint. We need tampons, pads, Midol, chocolate, and heating pads and we will be on our way to becoming human again,” she said with a wimpy thumbs-up. “The pain is just… all-encompassing. It feels like it’s taking over our brains.” She gestured to the girl he was still holding.

“Are you implying that Rey would never in her right mind throw herself at me?” Ben teased, chuckling at the exaggerated eye roll Rose threw his way.

“If you weren’t so warm I’d kill you for that,” Rey’s voice was muffled by his shirt, but her sniffles had slowed down. “Also, you smell good.”

Ben looked down at her fondly, biting back a grin.

“Alright, so, pads, tampons, meds, chocolate, and heat.” Ben listed off as Rey pulled herself away from him and wrapped her arms around herself, slightly embarrassed at how she had low-key mauled him.

“Could you text me what the boxes look like so that I don’t get you the wrong kind?” He asked, remembering how flustered Han had been when Leia had sent him and pre-teen Ben off to buy her feminine products as she was at home doubled over on the couch with a microwaveable sock of rice pressed firmly to her stomach. He wasn’t about to repeat that and risk setting off two women’s short tempers upon his return.

“Smart.” Rose snorted but acquiesced, taking the bottle of pain meds from him and popping a couple into her mouth before cupping her hand to the faucet to wash the pills down.

He lifted his hands in a small shrug and a smirk.

“In the meantime, if you can make it downstairs, there’s tea in the cabinet beside the fridge, maybe that will help?” Ben suggested as he made his way out into the hallway.

“Thanks so much, Ben,” Rey’s quiet voice made him pause, glancing over his shoulder to take in her red-rimmed eyes and quivering chin. He answered her watery smile with what he hoped was a reassuring smile of his own and continued on down the hall.

_Fuck._ He cursed the weather as he stepped outside and was immediately hit with a wall of heat, watching wavy lines shimmer and dance in front of his mother’s car as it idled in the curved driveway.

“Out.” He pulled the driver’s side door open, not waiting for Poe’s protest before reaching in to unbuckle his seatbelt and take his arm. Ignoring Finn’s gaping mouth, he adjusted the seat and spun the wheel, accelerating out of the driveway and onto the small road that would take them into town. After what had happened in their teen years with a cocky Poe at the wheel of his father’s pride and joy, a restored Nabooian Starfighter classic car, and the resulting accident that had Poe’s father grounding him for the rest of the school year, Ben promised himself he would never let his friend drive if ever they were in the same car together. Today was not his day to die, thank you very much.

“So how are they?” Finn asked.

“Did they bite your head off?” Poe chimed in from the backseat. Ben rolled his eyes.

“They’ll be fine. We might do well to watch another movie with them when we get back. The less they have to move around, the better. And keep them warm.” Ben mused aloud.

“_Warm?!_” Poe echoed. “It’s close to triple digits out here! Why would they need to be warmer? Just have them sweat it out outside, then!”

Finn spoke before Ben could stop scowling at the rear view mirror long enough to talk.

“No, I remember now. Rey liked to put her laptop on her stomach; she said it helped things cramp less. So really, they just need heat for their stomachs.”

“Just Google it, Poe,” Ben shook his head as they pulled into the small grocery store parking lot. They tumbled out reluctantly, wincing at the humidity that smothered them like a thick blanket.

“Alright. Finn, look for Midol. Poe, figure out the chocolate situation. I’ll get electric heating pads and then we’ll meet up in the… feminine products section.” Ben felt his face heat up slightly. They were grown men, damnit. They could survive this without being awkward.

The other two hurried away, intent on fulfilling their missions. He felt his pocket buzz and pulled out his phone, taking note of the pictures Rose had sent him of the tampons and pads she wanted. A couple minutes later, Rey sent him her chosen brands, along with another text of gratitude containing several heart emojis strung onto the end. He smiled at the screen and shoved his phone back into his pocket.

The heating pads were easy enough to find, and soon, all three men were standing uncomfortably at the beginning of a long aisle of feminine sanitary products.

“Shit, how many different shapes or sizes of stuff does one woman need?” Poe rubbed the back of his neck as they took in the various brightly-colored packages and boxes. “You’d think they’re all the same down there, right? So why not just make one kind of tampon and pad?”

Finn gulped.

Ben coughed.

There was an impression of an unspoken agreement to _not_ voice what they were thinking, as if commenting or siding with Poe’s views would immediately unleash a mob of angry women storming down the aisle to dole out their wrath.

“What the—?” The perplexed aviation instructor held up a package of long pads with wings.

“Wings?” Ben shifted his weight as he tilted his head, cheeks painted with a flush of red. Finn snapped his fingers in recognition.

“Oh! Peanut talked about this one time! The wings are to hold the pad in place, I think.”

“I thought they were for good girls who were really tall,” Poe motioned to the title of the package.

Ben snorted. “Don’t be stupid.”

“I bet they’d make nice pillows if we ever got locked in for the night by accident,” Poe mused, poking at a bulging package of maxi overnight pads.

They wandered slowly down the aisle, lost in thought and spacing out at the visual overload.

_Kinda, sorta, really glad I’m not a woman,_ Ben thought as he looked down at his phone to reference the girls’ feminine products requests.

After a few more awkward, fumbling moments of pulling out the right boxes and packages out of the sea of sanitary napkins, all three headed hurriedly to the closest available register.

The tired, saggy-cheeked cashier nodded solemnly as she peered up at them through clumpy, mascara-coated lashes, her wrinkly lips pursed with feathered red lipstick.

“Say hello to your mother for me, Benjamin,” were her parting words as they turned to go. Ben flinched.

The elderly employee – _What was her name? Bev? Maude?_ – had worked there at the corner store long enough to know her regulars, and while he was glad she hadn’t batted an eyelash over their purchases, he knew she might share the information with Maz and it would eventually reach his parents. Another embarrassing moment waiting in the wings.

_Is this the destiny of my life? To be embarrassed without fail by everyone who’s watched me grow up?_ Ben thought half-dryly, half-dramatically as they drove back to the house. _Fuck my life._

“So what’s our game plan?” Finn leaned up between Ben and Poe in the front. “Who’s going to face the dragons in their lair?”

“Not it!”

“Not it!”

Ben rolled his eyes at the other two who had their index fingers on their noses.

“One of you has to go give them their stuff while I get things set up,” he reasoned. “We can put on a movie marathon for them in the living room.”

“I can do that, easy peasy!” Poe protested.

“Do you know where the tea is?” Ben asked, cutting him a brief pointed look before returning his eyes to the road. “Do you know where the blankets are? Where the washcloths are?”

Poe huffed and slouched back in his seat.

“Fine. But I want to pick the movie.” He groused.

Ben’s brows shot up to his forehead. “Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed?!”

“Yeah, you’re not the one dealing with the bloody murder of the tissue of your uterine wall,” Finn added nervously. “What if you pick something they don’t like? The girls should be calling the shots today.”

“No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend,” Ben muttered under his breath as they pulled into the driveway.

“Hey!” Poe socked him in the shoulder. Ben shoved him back irritably and turned off the car.

“Alright, just… rock-paper-scissors it out and then get going. I’ll be in the living room. And make it quick.” Ben ordered as they got out of the car and made their way inside the house.

Finn and Poe lagged behind, and Ben smirked when he heard Poe’s cry of frustration at losing to Finn. He directed Finn to prepare the tea and snacks in the kitchen and then hurried down the hallway to grab the blankets.

Another idea flashed into mind just then, and he took the stairs two at a time, brushing past a sulking Poe to disappear into his bedroom. It only took a few seconds to locate the eucalyptus muscle soak Epsom salts he sometimes used after a rigorous training day with his kickboxing instructor.

“Here,” he shoved the bag into Poe’s arms. “They might want to soak or shower before the movie.”

“How do you know so much about girls?” Poe’s hissed whisper was a mixture of awe and genuine confusion. Ben grimaced.

“High-maintenance ex,” he replied shortly, seeing the other man’s instant recognition of the reference. Without waiting for his answer, Ben hurried down the stairs to continue preparing the living room for the girls.

His steps faltered for a moment, wondering if it was too much to ask fate for Rey to sit beside him during the movie. Shaking his head, he completed his trek down the stairs, moving away from the girl of his desire.

* * *

Rey and Rose curled up in separate huddles on her bed, back to back, dozing in and out of a light pain-studded nap. The Tylenol had kicked in and lessened the aches somewhat, but it wasn’t enough.

“Can’t wait for that heating pad,” Rey moaned as another thud of pain pummeled her abdomen like a sucker punch to the gut.

“I swear, it’s never hurt this bad before,” Rose bit out in agreement, digging her fingers into the comforter to offset the pressure in her stomach. “Fuck you, Aunt Flo.”

“Shit, yeah.” Rey whimpered. She felt absolutely pathetic and yet she didn’t give a fuck.

In the past, her periods had been more of a _grin-and-bear-it_ situation, not a _shit-I’m-dying-someone-shoot-me-and-put-me-out-of-my-misery_ kind of experience. Finn knew the drill, giving her lots of space and bringing her a snack or two. She defended her independence fiercely and was proud of the fact – if not slightly curious about it – that she had never been in so much pain as to have anyone else take care of her. It was all about mind over matter, she would tell herself, gritting her teeth and pressing her overheating laptop against her abdomen.

_I really owe Finn an apology,_ she thought with regret, thinking back to her rude awakening and haphazard spike of jumbled emotions. She hadn’t even had time to think when she flew off the hook and chucked the closest thing to her at him. She’d never done that before. _I wonder how boarding academies for girls deal with multiple times of the month,_ her lips quirked upwards as her brain supplied her with outlandish imaginings of bloody mayhem in the prim and proper corridors of historical boarding academies in prestigious locations of the country.

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t hear the timid knock on the bedroom door until Rose grumpily raised her voice.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Poe. We got stuff for you. And… Ben thought you might be able to use some Epsom salts in a bath, if you’d like.” His voice came through the door hesitantly.

Both girls rolled over enough to make eye contact with each other. Unspoken emotions passed between them in the kind of conversation where two women suffering together acknowledge that relief is nigh and yet battle with the thought of _why the hell did it take so long?_

_I don’t know how to react right now, and I’m afraid of biting another well-meaning friend’s head off,_ Rey tried to convey in her expression. Rose huffed quietly in agreement and then turned towards the door.

“Thanks, Poe,” she called out.

“And… Ben said you could use the guest bathroom down the hallway if you’re gonna use the tub.”

They could hear his voice picking up its normal tones of enthusiasm, albeit with a healthy amount of caution.

“Sounds good,” Rose grunted as they both struggled to sit up.

“We’ve got blankets and more snacks and a movie ready to go if you’re up for that,” Poe finished hopefully. “Ladies’ choice, of course.”

“Okay, we’ll let you know,” Rose finished her sentence as she swung the door open to speak directly to her friend’s nervous face.

“Hey,” Poe smiled weakly as he held up the plastic bags of feminine products, medicine, and heating pads, along with Ben’s Epsom salts. In any other moment, Rey would have laughed at the timidity in his stature, but she had more pressing things to focus on at the moment.

_A warm bath does sound good,_ she closed her eyes as she stood up, swaying slightly beside the bed, her muscles alternating between tense and relaxed.

“Take the heating pads downstairs,” Rose instructed as she grabbed the other bags of tampons and pads. “We can use those during the movie.” She efficiently sorted through what was hers and what was Rey’s, then headed down the hall to the other bathroom. Poe took a step backwards, ready to go back down the stairs.

“And Poe,” she called over her shoulder while Rey watched from the doorway of her room, ready to shut it and get a bath going. The man in question turned around warily. “Thanks,” she smiled. Rey echoed Rose in agreement.

He threw them a brilliant grin, once again becoming the confident, roguish, friend they knew.

“See you downstairs!” He bent low in a comically exaggerated bow before he hustled away.

* * *

The narrator of the documentary Poe had selected infused the room with his upbeat commentary on the life cycle of jungle wildlife, but none of them were watching. All three men slouched in their seats. Ben was half-heartedly playing an online poker game on his phone. Finn was toying with a frayed thread on the hem of his shirt while his knee bounced up and down nervously. Poe held his phone between his middle finger and thumb, spinning it around while his eyes were absent-mindedly fixed on the television screen. The air was heavy with jittery anticipation at the thought of seeing their female companions once again.

On the coffee table lay their humble offerings of appeasement – A kettle of hot water sat on a pot-holder with boxes of chamomile, peppermint, and ginger tea nearby, along with a plate of cut-up fruit, yogurt cups, a can of mixed nuts, and a hefty pile of chocolate bars. Finn had researched what kinds of foods would help ease their pain while Ben had poked around in the kitchen to see if they had any of the items on the list.

As he set up for another online match after having won against some faceless idiot who clearly did not know how to play poker, Ben wondered how Rey was feeling. His ribs twinged with the phantom touch of her arms around his waist as he thought back to the fierce hug she had given him when she opened the door. It had been a strength of wills to push down the urge to kiss the top of her head and soothe her pain with nonsensical phrases of encouragement and sympathy as she sobbed.

_Whatever you need, I’ll do it for you so that you can feel better,_ Ben remembered thinking as her tear-stained face gazed up at him in his mind’s eye. His eyes had roved hungrily over her freckles, noting the tremble in her lips and the tear-clumped lashes framing those luminescent hazel eyes. He had never felt such an intense desire to go to the ends of the earth to take away her pain.

Honestly, it was a little overwhelming.

_What is this?!_ He had marveled at the intense desire he’d felt to care for another person; no, not just any person, but… Rey. It had never felt that way when he was with Bazine or any of his other dates in the past.

He sighed as he demolished another opponent with little effort and exited the app, unimpressed with the lack of decent players.

He didn’t even know her that well, and half the summer was already gone. In a few weeks she’d be back at the university, in her own separate world of engineering and friends, and he would go back to his own life of winning court cases, answering Snoke’s every beck and call, and working out in his downtime. _Shit. Am I really that boring? _His lips twisted down into a small frown.

_It’s Rey. She breathes this energy into everything and everyone she comes in contact with._ Ben let his head fall back against the couch cushions, frustrated with the internal push and pull that threatened to give him a headache.

_I can’t care too much. _He thought._ This is temporary. We live separate lives. I’d taint her with all of my past shit._ Ben ran a hand through his hair restlessly, stealing a glance at the doorway closest to the stairs. No one, especially Rey, should have to put up with all of someone else’s emotional baggage.

Friendship.

That was all he could offer her. That was all he _should_ offer her. He would satisfy himself with her smiles and their friendly competition and then let her go at the end of the summer. It was what she deserved. He cursed his inner voice’s protests – _go after what you want,_ and _give her a chance_ – into silence.

Friends. He could do that. He could be friends with Rey Niima.

Just as the tropical birds on-screen finished their battle of colorful plumage displays for a potential mate, the footfalls on the stairs made the living room’s inhabitants freeze.

“Showtime,” Poe whispered in trepidation.

The girls appeared in the wide archway, their hair damp, the faint scent of eucalyptus filling the air, and… smiling.

Ben blinked.

“H-how are you feeling?” Finn ventured as he paused the documentary. Rose walked over to him and plopped down on the couch next to him with a little sigh.

“I’m feeling a lot better. Thanks for the Epsom salts, Ben,” she looked in his direction. “They really helped.”

Rey hesitated in the doorway, looking between the couch where Finn and Rose sat and the loveseat Ben occupied before making her way over to where Ben had his feet propped up on the ottoman and sat on the edge shyly with a smile. “Yeah, it was really helpful.”

Her eyes clouded over briefly and she turned to Finn.

“Hey, I’m really sorry about what I did to you this morning,” she began before her best friend cut her off with a wave of his hand.

“No worries, Peanut. I’m just glad you’re feeling better.” He returned the smile she gave him.

“Are you hungry?” Poe gestured with a sweeping hand to the coffee table like a magician. “We could also order out if you want something else.”

Rose leaned forward and snagged a banana and a mini dark chocolate bar before settling back into the couch.

“I’ll be honest with you,” Rey addressed the room as she reached for the kettle to make a mug of ginger tea, “I could go for a pizza right about now. These healthy snacks are great, but I have a feeling that I could wipe these out and still have room for a pizza.”

As if on cue, Ben’s stomach growled beside her. It reverberated throughout the quiet room, resulting in four pairs of eyes looking straight at him. Rey burst out into small giggles, then cursed as hot water sloshed out the side of her mug. Ben forgot about his self-consciousness as he stared at the enchanting creature on the other side of the loveseat. Her laugh was worth the blush on his face. He caught himself before the corners of his mouth turned up into a full-blown smile.

_Friends, Solo._

Poe stood up, phone in hand.

“Big hungry Ben has spoken,” he teased, ignoring the glare his friend sent his way. “What does everyone want? I’ll place the order while you pick out the movie.”

A chorus of suggestions bombarded the man until they compromised on one large meat lover’s pizza, one medium Hawaiian pie, and one medium vegetarian pizza, complete with garlic knots and dipping sauces.

While Poe stepped out into the hallway, Ben stood up, making his way to the side table where the electric heating pads lay sealed in their boxes.

“Finn. Catch.”

“Heat!” Rose crowed excitedly around a mouthful of banana as Finn began unboxing and plugging in her heating pad.

Ben could feel Rey’s eyes on him as he fiddled with the cord. He was glad he had decided to grow his hair out after high school to hide his big ears. Not only did it stop the jokes, it was also handy in covering up red, blushy ears around pretty girls, like the one sitting on the loveseat to his left as he plugged the heating pad into power.

_Just friends…_

Their fingers brushed as he looked up at her, bent down on one knee in a weird sort of proposal pose as the heating pad exchanged hands. He barely heard her soft intake of breath; so busy was he in losing himself in the depth of her eyes for the hundredth time as an adorable blush rose up her neck. They mirrored each other’s small smiles, oblivious to the smirks on three other faces surreptitiously watching them.

“This is— thanks for this, Ben.” She gestured to the heating pad pressed firmly against her abdomen, already feeling her muscles relax under the growing warmth. “It’s just what I needed.”

_I want to be the one to give you what you need every single day for the foreseeable future._

Why was she looking at him like that? What was up with this expression of gratitude on her face as if he’d reached up and given her the whole damn moon?

_Stop it, Rey. _He begged internally._ You could take my heart in an instant and I wouldn’t fucking care. We’re friends. We have to be friends._

“Yeah, anytime,” he replied softly, hoping she couldn’t hear the thudding of his heartbeat whooshing in his ears. He took the small, close-mouthed smile she gifted him and tucked it away in his memory for later. He would be good.

Poe cleared his throat from the living room archway.

“Pizza will be here in 20. What’d you guys pick?”

“Oh!” Rose perked up, tearing her eyes away from her favorite ship having a moment. “It’s a toss-up between _A Walk To Remember_ or _Bridget Jones’s Diary,_ for me. How ‘bout you, Rey?”

Ben stood up from his crouched stance and reached for the can of nuts,tipping a handful into one palm as he waited for his seat mate’s response. She hummed thoughtfully as he settled down, propping his feet up once more on the ottoman.

“I’m on board with either of those, though I’ve kinda got a hankering to see Heath Ledger in that paintball scene in _10 Things I Hate About You._”

“Paintball?” Finn asked interestedly. Rose waved a hand at him.

“Not what you think—It’s the most adorable paintball fight you’ve ever seen, and I’m there for it! Let’s watch that one first and then _Bridget Jones’s Diary_ next! I love me some Hugh Grant!”

“But he’s a dick in that movie!” Poe exclaimed as he plopped down in the recliner with a yogurt cup. Ben snorted.

“He’s a pretty boy and I just wanna look at him so that I can be distracted from my current physical pain. Need I say more?” Rose challenged lightly. Poe held up his hands in a gesture of surrender as Rey giggled.

They had barely gotten through Cameron James’ introduction to Padua High School’s cliques when the pizza arrived. Ben determinedly ignored Rey’s small moans and noises as she devoured the first two slices like she’d never seen food before. He was proud of himself for the fact that his cock only twitched once, and that had been because his eyes had slid over to where Rey was moaning around her first bite of the spicy meat lover’s pizza slice on her plate. Her eyes closed in bliss while _his_ eyes widened at the way her little pink tongue swiped to catch the stray string of mozzarella dangling from her lips. Ben immediately turned back to the flat screen TV and glued his eyes there.

He was _not_ going to be jealous of Rey making love to a slice of pizza.

Forty-five minutes later, only six slices remained in the open pizza boxes. Ben was full and contentedly drowsy. A lazy glance around the room informed him that everyone else was also suffering from their own version of food coma.

Poe was already snoring softly, mouth wide open as his empty plate tilted precariously in his lap, threatening to spill abandoned pizza crusts onto the floor. Rose had taken one of the couch pillows to Finn’s lap and was also asleep, her head lolling slightly at what Ben was sure was an uncomfortable angle. He didn’t envy the crick in her neck she would have when she woke up. Finn was still sitting up on the couch, and Ben briefly thought he was watching the movie, but a second glance revealed him to be silently snoozing.

A small sniffle alerted him to the girl on his left.

Rey was crying quietly as she watched Kat Stratford discover Patrick had only shown interest in her because of a scheme. She caught Ben’s incredulous stare and furiously wiped at her eyes with her shirt sleeve.

“Sorry,” she whispered hoarsely, noticing their sleeping companions before blinking back to him. “I just feel for him when it gets to this part.”

Ben’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“For _him?_ Wouldn’t you feel bad for the girl?”

“Well… yes, but I feel for him _more_ because you can see the moment he regrets that he didn’t tell her before this embarrassing, public explosion happened. It’s all there in his eyes.” She sniffed again and Ben grabbed the tissue box from the small table on his side of the couch, to which she muttered a quick thanks before blowing her nose.

_What do I do?_ He began panicking internally.

“I mean, as the viewer, you can see he’s falling for her,” Rey explained, dabbing her eyes once more. “And sure, it would have been better if he had told her about the scheme and cleared the air before seeing if she’d still want to progress further.”

Ben nodded as they briefly turned their attention back to the screen.

“But it’s just that… that moment when he sees that the jig is up, and… yes, it’s his fault, but also, how could he have known she’d actually like him back and he’s falling for her and it’s just—!” The tears were back and Ben handed her another tissue, his mouth working as his mind raced with what comforting tactics were appropriate between friends.

_Should I pat her on the back? Take her hand? Fuck…_

“Also, period hormones are driving my brain, so this movie gets me worked up more than usual,” Rey muttered, leaning her head back with a sigh. Ben bit his lip, opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again.

_Don’t blow it, Solo._

“I… I guess I can see that perspective, now that you’ve explained it like that,” he settled on saying. She studied him for a moment before gifting him with a small smile. He watched as she continued staring at him, smile slowly fading as her eyes wandered down to his chest before flicking off to the side.

“Shoulders…”

Did he hear her correctly?

“Come again?” He leaned toward her.

She cleared her throat, her eyes wide as she realized what she had meant to say internally had come out verbally. Very verbal. Like, longingly and hungrily verbal.

“Finn has bony shoulders!” She blurted a little too loudly. They both turned to look at their friends, thankfully still passed out like the dead. Rey lowered her voice.

“When we watch movies at home, I can never lean on him for too long because his shoulders are bony. I just… happened to notice yours and you look like you’d be more comfortable to lean on.” She explained bashfully. He watched, fascinated, as her cheeks bloomed with heat.

“Are you calling me fat?” Ben teased. She gave him the fiercest, most adorable scowl as she shoved at his arm.

“You know that’s not what I meant!” Her voice rose slightly, threatening to wake the others once more. He laughed quietly and reached over to pull her into his side before he could register what his body was doing.

“Well then, what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t offer you my non-bony shoulder for comparison?” Ben desperately hoped he looked nonchalant despite the thundering beat of his heart.

Her eyes darted up to him, inspecting him for a moment with lips parted in a tiny, silent gasp before turning back toward the widescreen tv, her body relaxing into his side. Ben was surprised by how familiar it felt to hold her, like they’d been doing this for years.

“Yeah. It’s… for science.” She mumbled, and he let out an amused chuckle, rubbing his hand up and down her arm a few times before turning his attention to the movie.

Later on, Ben would deny that they had willingly agreed to this position when he woke to a smirking Poe poking him on the shoulder that Rey was not occupying. He would deny that he had stared at her for minutes on end after she had fallen asleep on him, uncaring of her drool that had seeped through his shirt as he studied the delicate swoop of her eyelashes and tried to count all the freckles scattered on her cheeks.

And if she felt his lips press a gentle kiss onto her forehead before he himself dozed off, and questioned him about it when she woke, he would deny that, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww, they got cuddle time! Woohoo!
> 
> Okay, so I had this particular scenario of “the girls’ periods arrive unexpectedly; how does everyone react to it” in mind close to the beginning of when I first started this fic. There were lots of parts that basically wrote themselves, and then… straight-up writer’s block for the next 2-3 weeks. It was quite frustrating. But I’ve been trying to be kinder to myself, remind myself that I’m writing this for fun, try to be patient and write a little bit each day, and finally, I finished the chapter. (Lol, it also feels like each chapter keeps getting longer and longer! Yikes!) Thank you all for your patience, as well.
> 
> The summer is halfway over! What will happen next?


	8. Good Vibrations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey's patience is starting to wear a little thin due to Ben seemingly missing her more-than-obvious cues. Rose helps her scratch an itch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Non-beta'ed, as uushhh.

It was an accident, really. It had to be.

Like the rising temperatures baking Chandrila as the summer wore on, Ben felt the heat’s pressure every time Rey was around him. It was as if the devil himself had personally undertaken the task of sending Ben’s brain into overdrive at all the little things Rey did.

She showed up to dinner one time in a bikini top and those tiny ass swim shorts, claiming that Rose would join her at the beach for a swim and to watch the sun set after they ate. Ben’s mind had shorted at the image of all that exposed golden skin, beautifully lit in the magic hour of sunset, of how incredible it would be to make love to such a perfect creature on the beach in that atmosphere, and, well, his father had to come to his rescue as he choked on his food. The sincere concern in Rey’s eyes as she touched his hand, asking if he was alright, further proved his point that he was a lecher of the highest degree and she didn’t deserve to even be friends with someone like him.

Another time, he had happened upon her in the living room, napping against Chewie on the carpeted floor. They were adorable together, with Chewie snuffling quietly in time to Rey’s delicate snores. The white t-shirt she was wearing clearly showed that she had foregone a bra, and he stood there in the doorway, hypnotized by the rise and fall of her chest and the faint outline of her nipples, the blood rushing down south to his very interested cock. He clenched his fists in an attempt to combat the desire to wake her up with his mouth lovingly suckling her breasts.

Instead, she had woken up to Poe slamming the front door in excitement, shouting to the whole house about Paige Tico coming to visit for the weekend, startling Ben out of his fantasy and prompting him to rush to his room before his erection was spotted by another pair of eyes. He didn’t leave his room for the rest of the day.

And now this.

He had heard her calling for him when she deciphered his footsteps on the stairs and dutifully made his way to the kitchen. (She had playfully quipped in passing that she had an uncanny ability to tell who was walking around by the way their footsteps sounded, and while he had thought she was joking, she had proved him wrong the next couple days as she picked out Finn and Poe’s footfalls around the house; even Han’s and Leia’s.)

Ben silently swore at whatever deity in the universe would think this was a funny joke to walk in on Rey, wrapped up in nothing but a bath towel, on tiptoe reaching for something on the top shelf of one of the cabinets. The air was sucked from his lungs, converted into blood, and immediately sent to storm his poor cock as his eyes traced the length of her legs all the way up to where the towel barely covered her bottom. As she grumbled and stretched up on her toes again, unaware of his presence, the towel did indeed ride up, and Ben’s eyes were blessed with the under-curve of the most perfect ass cheeks in existence.

“Rey.”

She whirled around with a gasp upon hearing her name rasped from his lips. The surprise melted into a giggle and she leaned against the countertop, crossing her arms over her toweled chest.

“Ben! Glad you heard me. I need your length,” she jabbed her thumb behind her at the cabinet. “The sugar’s there on that shelf and I thought I was tall enough to reach it but…” She demonstrated again on tiptoe and Ben almost groaned aloud as the towel began to inch upward. “Can’t reach it,” she looked back at him sheepishly.

_‘Length,’_ one side of his brain snickered unhelpfully. _She meant his height, dumbass,_ the other, more logical side of his brain rolled its eyes.

He strode over to stand behind her while she gazed up at the elusive pantry item. This close to her, the smell of her shampoo in her damp hair pleasantly tickled his nose and he closed his eyes briefly as the bulge in his pants throbbed insistently. If they were a couple, he would have pressed her into the counter so that she could feel what she did to him. If they were a couple, he would have tugged down her towel enough to mouth at her breasts while his hands palmed glorious handfuls of that peachy ass. If they were a couple, he would fucking worship her any time and every time of the day. _Just let me have this moment, being so close to her,_ he begged the universe staring at the tiny freckles on her bare shoulder, _I won’t ask for anything more._

“Ben?” Rey’s voice asked curiously, starting to turn around to face him. Her ass brushed slowly against his crotch, and she froze. The tiny gasp not only confirmed to him that the moment was over, but that she was completely unprepared for his reaction to her.

Ben felt awful.

Hurriedly, he reached up with one arm, grabbed the sugar container, and set it down somewhat forcefully on the counter.

“Ben,” her voice came out with a slight tremble to it when she repeated his name. He couldn’t look her in the eye. How disgusted she must be. He was supposed to be her friend. Friends don’t continue being friends with people who get hard-ons because of them, or so the saying went, he thought with more than a hint of sarcasm.

He backed away from her as she turned around fully to face him, her face wearing an expression of confusion. Angling his body away from her to hide the source of his shame, he turned to leave the room, gruffly muttering, “For fuck’s sake, Rey, put some clothes on.”

He missed the drop of her jaw, followed by a hurt look on her face as he hurried to his room. Jumping into the shower, he took his cock in hand, working himself up until he spilled over onto the shower floor after several thrusts, a few angry tears mingling with the water as he berated himself for failing his personal vow to the beautiful woman he’d left in the kitchen.

It had to have been an accident, right? For her to just _be_ there, in that godforsaken scrap of a towel, freshly-showered and wandering about the house like that – she couldn’t be torturing him on purpose, could she?

_No, of course not._ Ben closed his eyes, letting the water beat a soothing rhythm on his back. She was innocence personified. It was his own horrible mind that needed to be restrained. He glared down at his half-softened dick. _Do better, _he chastised. His dick twitched.

Ben sighed wearily.

It was an accident. It had to be.

* * *

The forecast predicted a break in the heat wave for Chandrila and the surrounding area, to which its inhabitants breathed a sigh of relief. Leia wasted no time arranging for her campaign sponsor soirée to be hosted on the patio that weekend, taking advantage of the cooler weather. Like a general setting up her battle plans, she headed the conversation with firm focus during Saturday brunch, to the interest of the newcomers and to the excitement of Poe. Both Han and Ben immediately grumbled about not showing up, to which Leia tsked and insisted they be present to show a united front.

“They’ve sponsored you for the past thirteen years, Princess,” Han mumbled into his coffee mug, “they know who we are.”

Leia huffed as she cut into her waffle. “We have a few new sponsors I’ve invited and it would be pathetic to expect the others to put in a good word for me.”

“Then they aren’t really all that supportive now, are they?” Her husband countered, fighting to hide a smile when she jabbed her fork in his direction with a glare.

Ben rolled his eyes as Rey giggled.

Saturday brunch, a tradition at the Organa-Solo household, was the one tradition he suffered through with his parents and family friends alike. It was like having Thanksgiving every week, but with all of the awkward moments and less of the abundant feast’s dishes. It was the one time during the week when Maz would drop in to share her latest recipes with Leia or Uncle Lando would trade stories of the glory days with Han.

And almost always, the conversation would turn to him, asking – read: _teasing_ – him about his love life, or lack thereof. He’d gotten better at controlling his temper and choosing to deflect instead, and to his parents’ credit, they didn’t pick on him for too long nor did they let their friends do the same. It was progress, he supposed.

Thankfully, due to all the travel Leia had had on and off throughout the summer as she prepared her campaign, Saturday brunch had been sporadic. And thankfully again, today, Uncle Lando and Maz were absent, sparing him the possibility of being embarrassed in front of Rey. Besides, his parents and Poe were doing enough of that on their own.

“Of course, you two are invited,” Leia nodded in Finn and Rey’s direction. Ben glanced at Rey, watching her startle at the new development.

“It sounds fancy,” She replied cautiously.

Finn answered in the same tone of voice, “I don’t think I brought anything fancy to wear.”

Leia took a sip of her tea calmly. “No need to worry – Ben’s godmother Amilyn is an accomplished designer and she has created all my formal wear over the years. I’ll give her a call; you can drop by her place in the next few days.”

“I don’t… really have the budget to afford formal wear right now,” Rey’s voice shook with hesitancy. Ben frowned at the panicked edge he heard in her tone.

“Mom, they don’t really have to be there, do they?”

“Nonsense,” Leia tutted. “I’ve got it all covered. It’s going to be an enjoyable event, with good food and good company. If all else fails, you can head down to the beach or hang out in the den. But Rey dear, you and Finn deserve to have at least one formal event to attend this summer before going back to school.”

“Well… If you’re sure it won’t be too much trouble having us there,” Rey finally replied uneasily. Finn nodded in agreement.

“Thanks for thinking of us.” His smile erased the furrow in his brows.

Ben caught himself gazing intently at Rey’s face as he tried to figure out what was going on inside her head. He coughed and looked down at his plate, missing the way her eyes flicked over to his direction before she, too, focused on her food.

* * *

“You really don’t have to do this.”

Rey looked up from her book to see Ben leaning in her open bedroom doorway, his arms crossed and his mouth drawn into a grim line.

It took Rey a few seconds to peel her eyes away from the way his forearms bulged in their crossed position, and even after that, she was a bit slow on the uptake.

“Huh?”

“The party for my mother’s campaign,” Ben gestured with a frustrated hand. “She can steamroll over people when she’s got her heart set on something and she forgets that they have their own opinions and choices to make.”

Rey had a feeling he was speaking from experience and not observation.

“We can go down to the beach and have a bonfire or something there, instead,” he suggested, mistaking her lack of response as the rejection of his mother’s political shindig.

“No, no, it’s not that, although the beach does sound like fun, too,” Rey finally connected her brain to her mouth. “I just—” She hesitated. “I appreciate her gesture to get me fitted for a dress, but I’m not used to the, erm, extravagance of the gesture. No one’s ever done that for me before,” she explained cautiously.

The frown on Ben’s face eased slightly. “My mom can afford it; you won’t be putting her out by much.” He tilted his head as if to puzzle out what she meant.

Rey laughed uneasily. Explaining this part of her past was always difficult. She didn’t want pity, and while she knew that Leia wasn’t pitying her in the least, it was still hard to fight that knee-jerk reaction to such acts of generosity.

“Forget it, Ben, it’s fine. I don’t mind going, really.” She said with a bright (if not partially fake) smile.

His mouth worked in that _I’m-thinking-and-I-don’t-know-how-to-put-it-into-words_ kind of way that she had come to recognize before he shook his head with a sigh and shrugged.

“Suit yourself,” he pushed off from the doorway and left her to her book. She huffed at the abrupt end of their conversation.

_What the hell?_ The man was truly beginning to become an enigma again. The last week or so had slowly transitioned from the occasional joint workout and friendly text conversation to her being on the receiving end of his silence and absence. Just when Rey was sure he was beginning to open up to her, it was now the opposite. It was like watching the doors of the metro start to close while frantically rushing to slip in before the doors shut completely.

Heaven knew Rey had tried harder than usual to get his attention the past several days.

She had underdressed for dinner with the excuse that she was going to the beach with Rose afterwards, primly ignoring Poe’s shit-eating grin as his eyes darted between her and Ben. She knew her breasts weren’t that big, but the bikini was a great way to show them off, and the rest of the table seemed unconcerned with her attire as Leia enthusiastically advised her on which dunes would give the girls a good view of the sunset. The man of her affection had ended up choking on his food, with Han thumping his son’s broad back firmly until Ben quieted down enough to wave his father away, his face red with embarrassment.

She had waited for him to come home from work another time, lazing about in the quiet of the fairly empty house in a pair of joggers and a white t-shirt. With relaxation (and the hope of Ben seeing her) at the forefront of her mind, she had casually decided that a bra was unnecessary at the moment, and after checking to make sure the girls were “decent” enough, she made her way into the living room to give some belly scratches to the shaggy pooch before resting against Chewie’s side.

The next thing she knew, she was being startled awake by Poe’s excited hollers and Ben’s footsteps thundering up the stairs. Her heart deflated slightly at the realization that he had probably passed by the living room without noticing her at all. Disappointed, she slipped upstairs to put on a bra before coming back down to listen to her friend’s news.

Once, when she heard the faint sound of weights clanging against each other from the gym in the basement, she had even tried the “oops, I forgot something” trick, despite having just showered. _A basic exfoliating sugar scrub would be just the thing to brighten up my tired skin,_ her desperate mind determined, darting down the stairs and into the kitchen where she prayed no one else would walk in on her except the man himself.

Upon hearing his footsteps as he lumbered up the stairs, she called for him and began stretching her average 5’7” frame toward the top shelf of the open cabinet. Rey allowed herself a tiny grin when she heard his footsteps stop abruptly in the doorway before she donned her frustrated expression and reached up for the sugar, trying not to shiver at the slight chill of the air-conditioning breezing past her bare bum cheeks.

She was sure he would give in to the undeniable electricity between them when she brushed up against his erection with her ass (and _fuck_ what an impressive size she felt, though brief the touch was!), but instead he had disdainfully told her to put on some clothes before leaving her with sugar on the counter and a bruised ego.

_What’s wrong with him?_ Rey wondered, back in the present and absent-mindedly staring at the empty doorway of her bedroom.

“Weird.”

* * *

Amilyn Holdo was a force to be reckoned with. Rey and Finn, accompanied by Rose (Leia had insisted that Rose be looped into the group who would be outfitted by Amilyn’s Originals, to which she gladly accepted) stared on in awe as the older woman breezed into the room, draped in a loose, flowing gown of lavender.

Finn was immediately whisked away by one of her assistants for his fitting, while Amilyn took Rose and Rey into the back room to look at dress options.

The next two hours were filled with gown after gown being paraded in front of them, and eventually Rey chose a few to try on. The dress designer surveyed her each time with a critical eye, humming to herself as she pinched fabric here or crouched behind Rey to floof out a dress train there while an assistant stood to the side, making notes in a small notebook as Amilyn commented.

“Leia puts on the best soirées,” the slender designer gushed as she offhandedly called out another measurement to her assistant, who dutifully wrote it down. “Though I do hope she throws a good, old-fashioned barbecue before the summer’s over. They can get pretty wild, and oh-so-memorable!” Amilyn winked at Rey before turning to Rose on the other dais and pinning up the hem of her dress.

Rose giggled. “Do you remember last year’s barbecue with the flaming marshmallows and Dr. Ackbar’s mustache?”

The designer’s silvery laugh floated through the air as she shook her head.

“Now _that_ was a party to remember!”

The other women’s chatter slowly filtered out as Rey took in her surroundings. She felt like she was starring in one of Rose’s rom-com movies where the obligatory fashion makeover montage took place, awed by the variety of dresses on display specifically for a nobody like her, and the generosity of Leia to cover the cost of one of these designer’s originals.

_‘Jakku Desert Rat Makes Incredible Transformation’ would be a headliner,_ Rey joked internally as she let her hand brush across the pleated chiffon skirt of the pale blue number she currently had on.

Somewhere in another room, a phone rang and Amilyn’s assistant quietly excused herself before hurrying away to answer it.

“Alright, girls, go ahead and change into your next dress and I’ll be back after I’ve checked in on Finn’s fitting.” Amilyn set aside her ceramic dish of pins on a small desk beside the panel of mirrors and left the room.

“I can’t wait to see what Finn’s suit looks like!” Rose called excitedly from the next stall over as Rey struggled to ease out of her dress without damaging it.

“He cuts a fine figure,” Rey agreed with a grin, remembering one of their earlier university formals. “Are you two making any progress?”

“Oh my gosh, yes! You and I need another girls’ night soon to catch up, especially now that Paige will be in town for a few days!” The other girl responded breathlessly while Rey swore quietly to herself upon seeing the complexity of the next dress she was to put on.

“I think Finn’s going to have ‘that conversation’ with me before the break is over,” Rose hinted.

“That’s great, Rose,” Rey grunted, “I’m really happy for you.”

“What about you and Ben?”

Rey paused in her fight with the fabric. “What about him?” She snorted. “I can’t make heads or tails of him, Rose. It’s like… It’s like he’s drifting away instead of opening up to me.”

“But isn’t he interested in you?” Rose’s voice sounded closer to the fitting stall door.

“At one time, I thought so, but now, I don’t know,” Rey sighed, opening her door to meet her friend’s concerned eyes. “The texting, the workouts, the smiles and little jokes… He doesn’t really do that anymore. The other day I had half my ass showing from underneath my bath towel and he told me to put some clothes on!”

Rose shook her head sympathetically.

“I’m at a loss, and honestly kind of pissed at whatever this whole back-and-forth thing is,” she complained. “And on top of that, my hormones are making me more horny than usual.” Rey added.

“There’s gotta be some way to get him to notice your cues,” Rose agreed as they both went to stand in front of the mirrors again. “Give me some time to come up with a plan. Ben can be kinda slow, but hey, maybe the soirée will make him see that _you_ are the gorgeous unicorn in his midst who will make his wildest dreams come true!”

Rey snorted out a giggle at the description, letting the imagery bring her out of her despondency. “Thanks, Rose,” she felt the tension drain away. “You’re awesome."

“Just name your baby girl after me and we’ll call it even,” Rose quipped with a wink. Her friend just laughed.

Eventually, the girls made their choices, approved whole-heartedly by Amilyn, and left the boutique, eager to see what the tailored products would look like.

* * *

“God, that color is perfect on you!” Rose gushed as Rey stepped out of the bathroom in a champagne gold silhouette of silk. The girl cheekily swirled around to show off the back, with its cutouts and red accent.

“Showing off all the assets, yaaas girl!” Rose cheered. Rey giggled at her enthusiasm.

“Finn’s gonna have a heart attack when he sees you,” she motioned to pale blue vision of chiffon and sparkly accents on the other girl’s gown.

“Let’s hope so,” Rose struck an exaggerated pose.

They continued curling their hair, applying tasteful makeup, and enjoying the ageless tradition of girls getting ready together. Rose’s phone buzzed, letting her know that Paige had just pulled into town and would hurriedly shower and dress up before heading over to the Organa-Solo’s place.

“Oh, um, by the way, what underwear did Amilyn say to wear with that?” Rose motioned toward Rey’s dress.

“A thong or seamless panties. Why?”

“Well, we need Ben to notice you tonight, right?”

Rey looked over at the playful look stealing across her friend’s face. “Right,” she said slowly, suspiciously.

“And you’ve also been pretty horny lately, right?”

“What are you getting at, Rose?” Rey demanded, her eyes narrowing.

“All I’m saying is, we can kill two birds with one stone.” Rose grinned, crossing over to her backpack and pulling out a small box. “Ta-da!”

In her hands, a delicate pair of black lace underwear complete with a watch remote flashed through the clear plastic top of the box.

Rey’s mouth dropped open.

“_No._” She breathed in horrified delight. “Holy _shit,_ Rose, have you gone mad?!”

“Trust me,” the other girl was already pulling it out of the box. “You’ll have his attention on you all night! If the dress doesn’t work, your moaning should do the trick. Either that or he’ll think you’re not feeling well and dote on you all evening,” Rose muttered as an afterthought. “That outcome could be insulting or sweet, however you wanna take it.”

Rey ran trembling fingers over the lacy fabric. The idea of having to act natural around Ben was an enticing challenge, but the risk of being caught by him or even publicly humiliated as she was reduced to sexually-encouraged spasms gave her pause.

“I’ll wear the remote and keep an eye on you tonight, so you won’t have to worry about behaving embarrassingly around other, more important people who are there for Leia,” Rose promised, weaving a satiny light blue ribbon around the watch band before snapping it onto her wrist.

“Rose, this is insane! I’d wear this for the whole evening?” Rey asked nervously.

“Uh-huh. Look, if you don’t get him to notice you by the end of the night, at least you’ll have gotten a couple orgasms out of the deal.” Rose wiggled her eyebrows wickedly. “Go on, put ‘em on, girl.” She grinned encouragingly.

Rey walked in a daze to the bathroom and shut the door. She stared down at the black lace and the small attachment in the crotch area promising pleasures untold.

Truly, this would be a night to remember.

* * *

The backyard patio had been transformed into the perfect balance of casual and sophisticated. A 12-piece live band at the edge of the lawn and strings of lights set the atmosphere to that of an upbeat, easygoing nature. Part of the patio was cleared to be the designated dance floor. Small groups of chairs were scattered around the pool where floating candles bobbed in the summer breeze, while a few tables displayed catered finger foods and desserts. A modest army of smartly-dressed waiters stood by, ready to mingle with trays of champagne perched on their elegant fingers.

The sun gave its last hurrah in a brilliant array of oranges, golds, and purples before gracefully giving way to the artificial lighting around the backyard, with stars quietly winking in a darkening sky.

Leia was in her element, greeting each guest with finesse and serenity. The longtime friends were acknowledged with a mischievous wink and a handshake or hug. Han quickly struck up a lively conversation with Lando and Maz in an effort to combat his uncomfortableness, to which Ben couldn’t blame him. He’d grown up with this, and soon after, in his adult life, participated in enough of these kinds of events with Hux and Phasma to know how the game was played behind polished smiles and hollow promises. While he trusted his mother to have more heart than Snoke’s crowd of “friends,” he knew she was tough enough to take the punches and give just as good as she got.

Poe and Paige were off to the side, catching up on each other’s lives while Finn awkwardly hung around just outside of their engaged circle of conversation. Ben had to admit his godmother did her job well – the young man could have easily passed for one of the models on the cover of her quarterly catalogue.

He was halfway listening to Paige’s description of her internship program when a shimmer of pale buttery silk caught his eye by the French doors of the house, and once more, Ben’s lungs were rudely robbed of oxygen.

“Holy shit, Peanut!” His thoughts were voiced by an equally-awed Finn before he caught a glimpse of the young woman just behind Rey. “_Oh my god._”

While Rey more or less sashayed across the patio in a gorgeously-fitted swath of champagne silk and alabaster heels, Rose floated toward the group on a cloud of sky blue chiffon. Her smile was tinged with a hint of impishness as she came to stand in front of Finn.

Rey laughed at the awestruck look on her best friend’s face as the petite woman threw him a flirtatious grin.

Ben felt his dry throat constrict as her laugh washed over him. She was radiant in the glow of the evening light, eagerly joining in with the conversation as she was introduced to Rose’s sister. Her eyes were bright and glittering, or maybe it was just the way the stringed lights were reflecting off of her hazel eyes.

“My lovelies, the dresses suit you!”

Both Rey and Rose turned around to greet Amilyn and Ben was immediately treated to the sight of Rey’s peachy ass caressed by the fitted contours of her custom-made dress. Parts of creamy, smooth skin were tantalizingly exposed by the cutouts in her back.

_I’m going to hell._ Ben groaned internally even as his mouth began to water. _No. I’m _in_ hell. I have to spend all evening with a view like this and she’s clearly off-limits. Fuck my life._

“…don’t you think she looks gorgeous, Ben?” He caught the tail end of his godmother’s question as she gestured to the woman who frequented tortured his dreams.

“Uh, yeah Auntie Amilyn, you did a really good job designing their dresses.” He cleared his throat with a tight smile, to which his godmother cooed and left the young people to themselves.

“You alright there, big guy?” Rose teased as he struggled to behave normally and not let his eyes gravitate toward her ass like there were magnets tucked between her cheeks and his eyeballs.

“Yeah, uh, you really didn’t have to do this, like, we could’ve gone and done a bonfire down by the beach or something.” He floundered with his words, equally berating himself and panicking at how much longer he could keep his composure around Rey. She, on the other hand, continued to look blissfully happy, innocent, and sexy all at once. It was unfair, really.

“Tch. And miss this?” Rose motioned to the rest of the party while Rey and Finn nodded. “Not on your life! We barely get enough fancy-schmancy things in our young lives so we may as well live it up whenever the opportunity comes along!”

“Good thing we’re old enough to drink, huh Peanut?” Finn elbowed his best friend while she waggled her eyebrows back at him.

“I’m gonna go check out the food, actually, anyone wanna come with?” Rey asked, taking a couple steps toward the food tables.

“I’ll join you,” Rose quickly volunteered, but not before turning to Finn to boop him on the nose. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back!” He sputtered at her playful wink and Ben almost felt bad for the guy. It wasn’t easy being around a beautiful woman, let alone someone who was owning the place the way Rose was tonight.

The two women sauntered off to fill their plates, and Ben took the chance to discreetly adjust his half-hard dick in his pants. _Don’t get a hard-on,_ his mind helpfully brought back memories of their first workout session together and his continuous chant at the gym.

He grabbed a flute of champagne off of a slowly gliding waiter and gulped it down before swapping the empty one for another full one and sipping it more slowly.

Poe noticed his friend’s anxiety and broke away from his lull in Paige’s conversation. “Easy buddy, what’s got you on edge?” He snagged his own glass, taking a modest sip.

“I just hate these things,” Ben muttered, running a nervous hand through his hair. Poe shrugged and nodded, memories of political parties past no doubt coming to his mind.

It wasn’t untrue. Ben still remembered years of Leia instructing both him and his father to behave accordingly while she hosted her political galas. He also remembered the shouting matches his parents had post-party when Han failed and offended guest X, Y, or Z. It only made young Ben more anxious to behave as perfectly as he could, until he had reached an age where he was able to hide his anxiety well enough, even play the game a bit thanks to Snoke’s guidance. But that’s all it was — games.

He wondered if politicians were ever authentic people. He chewed his lip to fight down a smile as his immature, slightly morbid mind supplied him with images of politicians taking off their faces at night before bed, their grotesque skulls laying exposed to the night air while bits of flesh and blood dribbled down onto their clean white pillowcases.

_Fitting for monsters like them._

Poe had been able to show some sort of sincerity when it came to events like this. He worked the crowd effortlessly, even when they were younger. He made people believe in him; really _like_ him. He couldn’t fully understand why Ben had hated these parties so – Poe was, in essence, the son Leia had hoped for. It was a small mercy that Han didn’t really care about his wife’s campaign shindigs. At least his father was on his side for things like this.

His mother’s voice carried over the small crowd as she stole the microphone from the lead singer of the jazz band to make her customary greeting speech, bringing him out of his thoughts.

“Welcome everyone,” Leia’s ‘princess smile’ (as Han called it) beamed with confidence as she made eye contact with the quieted group. “We’ve made it to another year of campaigning, and what a year it’s been! Let me share with you a few of the things we did with last year’s support.”

As she launched into a summary of how her campaign funds had been put to use, Ben took another sip, his free hand beginning to clench and unclench nervously. _I wonder where Rey is. _He began to look around.

She wasn’t hard to spot.

Rey and Rose stood near the dessert table, with the former looking a bit sad at her full plate and then longingly again to the food she had yet to taste. Rose was giggling at her and pointing to the watch on her wrist, whispering in hushed tones with a mischievous smile before jerking her head in his direction. The two girls happened to look up and make eye contact with him, to which he flushed and averted his eyes down to his glass of champagne.

“As we kick off tonight’s soirée, I wanted to personally thank you once again for your support throughout the years.” Ben recognized his mother’s wrap-up cues and sighed, mouthing along to her next words.

“Not only do I consider you to be my campaign sponsors, but a part of my family as well. Tonight is for you, my friends. See you on the other side of the race, fellow victors.”

With a couple more invitations to enjoy the refreshments, drinks, and dancing, Leia handed the mic back to the lead singer, who immediately cued the band to play a classic jazz standard for him to croon to.

* * *

Rey could do this. She would be able to withstand the pleasant buzzing at her core all night, no problem. Rose had carefully twisted the watch dial to the first setting in the bedroom before they went downstairs to join the others, to make sure the vibrations would be manageable. The two girls shared crooked grins and a cocky thumbs-up before they made their way outside into the balmy dusk.

Since Rey’s room overlooked the backyard and the waters beyond, she had peeked out the window from time to time as the patio was slowly transformed, but nothing prepared her for the enchanting sights and sounds of what was to be her next several hours in the Organa-Solo backyard.

_I’m in a dream,_ she thought, _a dream straight out of the kinds of fairytales that have those happy endings._ She immediately spotted Ben and company at the far side of the patio, and laughed internally, pleased by the shock and naked desire blatantly displayed on his face. It made her feel powerful. _Perhaps we’ll have a chance to make him take a second look, after all._

Joining the group was a different story. The buzzing between her legs intensified minutely every time she took a step. She hoped her face wasn’t too flushed. Rose had only just turned it onto its lowest setting. _You can do this._ She told her self determinedly. Weaving around the other guests, she and Rose stopped in front of their friends.

“Damn, girls, you clean up nice!” Poe wolf-whistled appreciatively while Rose eagerly hugged her sister. Finn and Rey shot finger guns at each other with giggles.

“You look like Cinderella, Rosie,” Paige smiled warmly at her bubbly little sister. “Absolutely stunning.”

“Thanks, Pae-Pae! You look great, as usual,” Rose poked her sister on the exposed skin her dress revealed. “Sexy,” she playfully wiggled her eyebrows while her older sister rolled her eyes long-sufferingly.

“Oh, by the way! Pae-Pae, this is Rey! Rey, meet Paige!” Rose stepped back to let them shake hands. “She and Finn are staying here at Ben’s place for the summer break.”

“Let me guess, you go to Chandrila U?” Paige tilted her head to the side with a smile.

“Yup, we’re third-years,” Rey replied with a smiling glance at Finn.

“What are you studying?”

“We’re both in engineering,” Finn responded easily. Paige nodded.

“Ah. Did you have statistics with Jarvis yet?”

Finn’s mouth fell open. “Yeah! This coming semester! I’ve heard he’s a beast!”

“The secret to winning in his classes is to study the material he says he won’t put on the test. He’s so cliché but at least it’s predictable.” Paige leaned in conspiratorially. “And study his bonus quiz questions; he likes to slip those in, too.”

“You’re a lifesaver, thank you,” Finn held out his hand again to shake hers solemnly. The group laughed.

“My lovelies, the dresses suit you!”

Both girls turned around to see Amilyn Holdo gliding toward them with open arms and a warm smile.

“We have _you_ to thank for that, Ms. Holdo,” Rose ducked her head shyly before accepting her hug.

“Nonsense! Call me Amilyn! And it was my pleasure.” The slender woman waved a hand airily before continuing to compliment them on their hair and makeup.

“Even the lighting here brings out the best in both of your features,” the designer commented affectionately, turning to examine Rey a little more closely. “Why, my dear, you’re practically glowing! Have you modeled before?” She made a little motion with her hand for Rey to turn around slowly as she appraised her. “I do believe you’d be perfect for such a task if ever you were interested. Your carriage, your smile, everything about you is exquisite. Don’t you think she looks gorgeous, Ben?” Rey missed the way his godmother’s eyes cut across slyly to the man behind her, but she turned to look at him all the same.

He was staring pointedly down at the ground, a curious flush blooming on his neck, but jolted up when she addressed him. Stuttering, he complimented his godmother with a small smile, allowing Rey a moment to take him in.

His broad shoulders were swathed in a sophisticated charcoal gray suit jacket. The light blue shirt complimented the navy silk tie perfectly knotted at the pale skin of his throat. He looked like some modern-day Greek god, and a sexy one at that. Rey welcomed the low buzz against her heated center as her libido stretched its legs with a smirk.

His dark waves were artfully tousled, hiding what she was sure were blush-sporting ears, if the fading flush on his neck had any impact on them. Those plush lips begged to be kissed, nibbled, or better yet, bitten. _For fuck’s sake, we’ve barely even started the soirée!_ Her logical side of her mind scolded. _Will you keep it together for at least another hour?_ Her libido stuck out its tongue and turned back to drooling at the Adonis before her. She barely even registered Amilyn bidding them good-bye as she shifted minutely, pressing her thighs together.

The daydream crowded her thoughts easily, and she let herself be carried by the fantasy of Ben ‘Sex-God’ Solo taking her hand, suggesting they ditch the party, and then leaning in to whisper just what exactly he’d like to do to her once they were alone in the back seat of his car.

“Good thing we’re old enough to drink, huh Peanut?” Finn’s elbow jarred her back to the present. She had enough of her wits about her to respond with a scrunched up grin and wiggling eyebrows. _Hopefully no one noticed that I was two scenes away from getting laid,_ she grumbled with an internal pout.

A different kind of buzz began to bloom in Rey’s body, more of a gurgle than a buzz, really.

“Um, I’m going to check out the food situation; anyone wanna come with?” Rey asked loudly, attempting to disguise her growling stomach.

“I’ll join you,” Rose beamed, booping Finn on the nose before following her friend to the refreshments table.

The two began loading small plates up with fruits, artfully balanced slices of bruschetta, mini quiches, and canapés.

“Do you think it would be bad form if I got two plates of food for myself?” Rey debated out loud as she glanced over at the dessert table, then back to her mostly-filled plate. Rose giggled.

“Honestly, we’re not the ones with anything to lose at a function like this, so I’d say go for it!”

Rey laughed and grabbed some mini egg rolls to round off her first plate. As they walked over to the dessert table, Rose whispered, “How’re you doing, y’know, _down there?_”

Rey snorted as she handled the tongs to get some beignets, their puffed tops dusted with a sparkling sheen of powdered sugar.

“Looking at Ben combined with the buzzing at my clit is a recipe for disaster and… I’m already kind of wet.” She mumbled, embarrassed.

“That’s kind of the idea.” Rose snickered. “I’ll begin turning it up after Leia gives her opening speech. Hang on a little longer, will ya?” She teased just as the microphone popped with slight feedback. They finished filling their dessert plates while Ben’s mother addressed the crowd, making sure they attempted to have at least one of every single thing on the table transported to their plastic dishes.

After Leia’s invitation to mingle and dance, the two girls made their way back to the group of chairs their friends were occupying. Finn laughed when Rey polished off her first plate in less than ten minutes, to which even Ben smiled faintly at.

“No judgment,” Rey frowned in mock sternness, which was a bit challenging around the last mouthful of her smoked salmon canapé. Ben held up a hand in surrender as she pointed her finger at Finn, then at him.

“None at all.” He swished the champagne in his glass lazily as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.

Rose made an exclamation over the mini lava cake on her dessert plate. “Oh my god, Rey, you _have_ to try this! It’s like an orgasm in your mouth!” She looked over at Rey, twisting the outer perimeter of her watch slowly while Finn raised his eyebrows and coughed at Rose’s words.

“Who’s orgasming?” Poe perked up, breaking from his conversation with Paige yet again to take in the awkward silence that had descended.

Rey jumped in her seat with a gasp as her clit began to tingle from the stimulation.

“You?” Poe grinned. Finn rolled his eyes.

“No, idiot, it was just the way Rose worded her thoughts on the dessert.”

Paige stood up. “I think I’ll get some food. Haven’t eaten anything since that small bag of chips and a couple granola bars during my drive down here.” Poe stood up as well.

“I’ll come with.”

Finn half-heartedly tried to steal a brownie bite off of Rey’s dessert plate but was swatted away. “Get your own,” she scrunched up her nose with narrowed eyes. He grinned and trailed after Poe and Paige.

“Hey guys, wait up!”

“Ben, have you tried the lava cake?” Rose asked politely. She took a small bite and then placed her fork down, moving her hand to fiddle with the dial of her watch again.

“Y-yes, Ben, it’s _so_ good.” Rey moaned, hating how breathy she sounded. She chewed slowly, letting bursts of dark chocolate ganache coat her tongue decadently. Ben swallowed hard but a furrow appeared between his brows.

“Are you okay?”

_No, the fuck I’m not. I have been wet for close to an hour now. Fuck Rose. Actually, no, how about _you_ fuck _me_?_

“Yeah, s-sure I am. Why wouldn’t I be?” Rey laughed nervously as the vibrations increased in intensity. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rose tap something out on the watch, and grit her teeth as a split second later, whatever rhythm her friend had input was now beating happily against her clit on a loop.

“Seriously Ben, you have to try this cake,” Rey maneuvered a bite onto her fork and held it out to him with a shaky hand.

“Oh, that’s alright, I can get my own. I know how much you like your food,” Ben deflected courteously.

“R-right. But really, I don’t mind s-sharing,” Rey cut her eyes in a quick glare at a thoroughly-entertained Rose grinning with chocolate on her teeth. She shifted in her chair, her breath coming out in shallow pants. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes.

“Rey, are you sure you’re alright?” Ben leaned closer to inspect the light sheen on her face. “It looks like you’re sweating.”

“I’m fine, really.” She opened her eyes to find herself several inches away from gazing into his concerned light brown eyes. Rey cleared her throat and gave him a more confident smile. “It’s just warm out tonight.”

He looked puzzled. “It’s no warmer than it was earlier today. In fact we’re in the middle of a break from the heatwave.”

Rose was tapping out another rhythm onto the watch face, and while Rey stared, trying to think of a way to answer Ben’s remarks on the weather, Rose gave the dial a very big _twist._

The effect was immediate.

“Holy FUCK, _Ben!”_ She shot to her feet with a shriek, her small fork clattering to the ground, one fist clenched tight while the other hand gripped the plastic plate so hard she was sure she would crack it.

Everyone in the backyard turned to look at her. The band was startled but, being the professionals they were, continued playing. Even Rose looked taken aback for a split second before she dialed down the vibrations slightly, her shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

“This… this cake!” Rey proclaimed on shaky legs, “is absolutely amazing. Please, e-everyone, and Ben,” she gestured briefly down at the man staring up at her, perplexed, “I hope you get the chance to try it.”

Ben had never looked more bewildered.

“Great soirée, Leia,” Rose added loudly. “Your catering never fails to be a smash hit! A round of applause for this delicious food!” She grinned over the crowd amid the cordial applause, reveling in the confused looks and raised eyebrows from the hostess herself and their friends at the refreshment tables.

As soon as Rey sat back down, Rose turned down the intensity of the vibrating panties to a more manageable buzz, to her relief.

_Fuck, I was so close to cumming._

“Um,” Ben opened his mouth as he turned to Rey, then seemed to think better of it and stood up stiffly. “I guess I’m going to go try this cake. Excuse me, I’ll be back in a bit.”

As he walked away from them, Rey slumped down in her seat.

“Oh my god.” She groaned, throwing a hand over her face.

“Was it good?” Rose asked smugly.

“What the hell’s going on?” Finn demanded suspiciously, suddenly looming over both of them. Poe and Paige were close at his heels.

“Finn!” Rose smiled back happily. “Did you try the cake?”

“Wait a minute,” Paige narrowed her eyes. “I know that look.” She stalked closer to her sister. “It’s the _‘I-did-something-bad-and-I’m-trying-to-pretend-like-nothing-happened’_ look.” She crouched down beside Rose, eyebrows raised.

“Can’t prove anything, Pae-Pae,” Rose declared airily. “Rey just really enjoyed the lava cake.”

Poe’s eagle eyes caught on Rose’s wrist. A sly smirk of recognition twisted itself on his face before he schooled his expression.

“Did you now?” He drawled, looking over at Rey, taking in the gleam of sweat on her forehead and the glazed look in her eyes. She didn’t even have the presence of mind to flip him off.

“What are you talking about?” Finn asked, still confused. Rose rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, eager to escape her sister’s scrutiny.

“Let’s go dance, Finn! We can work up an appetite and then you can try that cake!”

“But—!”

Paige watched her sister drag the young man out onto the dance floor.

“She’s up to no good.”

“Aww, live a little, Paige,” Poe grinned, now fully aware of what was going on. As he spotted Ben making his way from the refreshment tables back to their group of chairs, he winked at Rey.

“In fact, why don’t we go for a spin ourselves?” He persuaded the protesting young woman to put down her plate for the time-being, gallantly escorting her to the small space where a few other couples, Finn and Rose included, were swaying in time to the music.

Ben returned just then with a mini lava cake on his plate. The plastic cocktail fork looked ridiculously minuscule in his massive hand. By now, Rey felt her breathing and heart rate slow down enough to where she could think again.

He looked over at her with a tiny smile. “Cheers,” he held up a forkful of cake and placed it in his mouth.

She watched as he chewed thoughtfully. _God, that sinful mouth,_ her mind sobbed with want.

“Hmm…”

“What are your thoughts?”

He chewed a couple more times before swallowing. “I could do better.”

Rey choked. “How do you mean?” _Yes, please. I’ll take you up on that offer. My room or yours?_

“C’mon, don’t beat a man down for having hobbies.” He muttered gruffly, but she could see he was joking by the twinkle in his eyes. “I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen and trying different recipes every now and then. I found a chocolate lava cake recipe that is loads better than this one.”

He took another bite, chewed some more, and shook his head. “Yeah, I could do better. It’s good, but I don’t think it’s good enough to warrant a deified curse word at a political campaign soirée,” he raised his eyebrows pointedly at Rey.

“You sure you’re okay?” He asked, taking another bite of lava cake.

She huffed and looked away, out at the dancing couples, trying to find an excuse for the buzzing sensations that had brought her close to orgasm.

“Well, you know me; I really love food,” she began crafting her cover as she shifted her weight in her seat, wincing inwardly at the slick mess ruining the still-buzzing scrap of lace. “And… being that I didn’t eat well growing up, I didn’t try a lot of nice foods.”

Ben nodded, peering at her while he chewed. She felt rather timid under the intensity of his gaze. It was a bit of a foreign experience to be the sole focus of his attention. _Just imagine the way he’d look at you if he knew you were wet for him,_ her lascivious mind prompted. Rey fought to keep the blush from her face as she continued.

“Uh, so, whenever I get the chance to try amazing food, like that cake,” now she couldn’t help the blush, “I guess it tastes a hundred times better to me than it would to most other people who probably get to eat these things more frequently than I do.”

There.

_Please buy it, please buy it, please buy it,_ she pleaded silently.

Slowly, Ben nodded. “Well then, I hope you get to broaden your horizons more often,” his mouth quirked upwards in a half-smile. Rey smiled back.

“Yeah, me too.”

They let the music fill in their silence, watching the dancers spin. Rey caught Rose’s eye as Finn dipped her on the dance floor and waved. Rose narrowed her eyes before smirking.

_Oh no._

Rey watched as the other girl casually reached over to tap out a rhythm on the watch face, then turn the dial up. _Shit._ She jolted in her chair as the torturous vibrations began anew. Ben looked over at the movement.

“Uh, d’you wanna dance?” She quickly stood up and jerked her thumb to where their friends occupied the dance floor. He chuckled with a shake of his head.

“I’m not much of a dancer.” He admitted. “Besides,” he pointed with his tiny fork, “cake.”

“P-please,” Rey could hear that breathy tone creeping back into her voice. _Damn it, Rose._ “Just for a little while.”

He gave her a long look before sighing heavily, discarding his fork, and picking up the rest of the small cake with his fingers and downing the whole thing. A waiter nearby offered the towel on his arm, to which Ben shrugged, wiped his chocolatey fingers, and stood up, still chewing.

Rey grabbed his hand with a jittery smile and tugged him toward the dance floor. Maybe busting a few moves would make her last against the escalating oscillations at the apex of her thighs, or at the very least, disguise her shudders.

“Having fun?” Poe whirled past them with Paige in his arms as the newest couple on the floor found their rhythm with the beat. He mouthed to Rey _you naughty girl!_ with a wink.

_Shit. Poe knew?_

Ben rolled his eyes. “Sure Poe, no need to show off,” he replied dryly. Poe spun Paige around impressively and neatly flipped Ben the bird before twirling away.

“Hey you two, so nice of you to finally join us,” Rose teased as she and Finn shimmied by. Her hand darted to the watch on her other wrist quicker than Rey could blink, and soon enough, she felt the level of vibrations double, pulsing sweetly against her clit.

God, but it was getting _hot _out here_._

“You’re a g-good dancer,” she attempted to make conversation. Ben snorted as he gave her a small spin.

“Blame it on my mom. She made me take lessons every summer until I was 16. I’m a bit rusty now, though.”

An image of a lanky, teenage Ben tripping over his feet as he learned to waltz came to Rey’s mind. If Ben was rusty – and honestly, she’d never had a more smooth or stable dance partner – she couldn’t imagine what he would dance like with continuous practice.

“I’ve only danced to the r-radio when I’m alone in the apartment,” Rey confessed. “Never h-had any dance lessons.” Concentration was slowly ebbing away as she felt the vibrating underwear move more ferociously against her dripping core.

“Rey, you’re sweating again,” Ben bent his knees slightly to meet her at eye level. Concern was etched on his face as he paused their dance. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I, erm, I…” Her voice trailed off and she unwittingly gripped his forearms as the heat began to grow inside her core.

“Rey?”

_Fuck you, Rose._ If she didn’t get inside, Rey was sure she would climax right there on the dance floor. And no one needed to witness a repeat of what had happened earlier that evening.

“I, ah, I need to go sit down. Inside. I’m just, hah, gonna…” Rey squeezed her eyes shut as another strong pulsing rhythm tapped insistently against her engorged clit. _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck._

“Please excuse me,” she forced her talon-like fingers to let go of Ben’s fine suit (and the corded muscle she felt beneath aforementioned fine suit) and quickly backed away, walking briskly toward the house. Her vision was starting to swim with unshed tears as the pleasure burgeoned within her lower abdomen.

She burst through the French doors and walked down the hallway, out of sight of the backyard, and leaned against the wall.

_Alone at last,_ she sighed, allowing herself to relax, giving into the incessant drilling of her clit. _At least I can orgasm in peace,_ Rey thought, letting a blissful smile bloom on her face. _Rose, do your worst._

“Rey?” Ben’s worried voice rumbled through the empty house. “Where are you?”

_Shit._

Rey bit back a whimper as the vibrations kept intensifying. _Ok, wait, Rose, slow down,_ she begged. _Ben’s here!_

Arranging her face into what she hoped was a neutral expression, she peered around the wall to find a rather harried Ben raking his fingers through his hair as he strode through the house.

“Ben.” The shudders racking her body were even affecting her voice.

“Rey.” He breathed in some semblance of relief, crossing the room in less than four broad steps. Placing his large warm hands on her cold-sweating, goose-fleshed arms, he looked at her apprehensively. “What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing, I j-just— M-my stomach.” Rey managed to get the words out in between pants.

“It’s your stomach?” Ben clarified. “Oh god, I hope it’s not appendicitis,” he placed a hand on her forehead. “No fever, so that’s good,” he mumbled to himself.

“No, n-not, hah, appendicitis,” Rey gasped. _I’m so close. I’m so, SO close!_ Her toes began to curl inside her heels. Shit, she was going to have an orgasm standing upright. Part of her brain marveled that that had never happened before.

“Is it something you ate tonight?” Ben’s hands hovered anxiously above her shoulders. She stared at him, her eyes hazily unfocused while her brain tried to parse what he had just asked her. _Fuck, you’re so pretty,_ she sobbed internally. Her cunt trembled.

_Oh god._ It was happening. It was happening right now.

Rey let out a long moan in the form of his name as tiny white lights burst behind her eyelids. She was vaguely aware that she was now gripping Ben’s forearms again while the rest of her body shuddered. Her head fell backward as her cunt clenched around nothing, drenching her underwear with liquid heat. She was soaring, flying, absolutely weightless and the only thing anchoring her down was the feeling of the cloth-wrapped muscles on the man standing before her. So solid. So dreamy. So fucking _good._

As she came down from her high of, in her girlish imagination, a cloud of rainbow-colored fireflies and soft white feathers, her brain slowly kicked back into gear again. Blessedly, Rose had turned down the vibrations. She registered the sounds of whimpering and harsh breathing in tandem with her fast-paced heartbeat. The moaning, she realized, belonged to her. The rasping breaths, on the other hand, belonged to…

_Ben._

Hesitantly, she opened her eyes, relaxing her vice-like grasp on his arms. When she lifted her gaze to his face, she blinked at his wrecked expression.

“Rey.” Her cunt spasmed at the roughness in his voice.

“Did you— Why did you—” His mouth worked in that familiar way she’d come to recognize. Finally he settled on asking, “Are you really alright?” Ben swallowed hard, staring intently at her. His eyes were wild as he searched her face.

In that moment, Rey realized a few things.

Number one was that Rose’s suggestion of knocking out two birds with one stone had worked like a charm. Public embarrassment aside from earlier that night, A) she sure had jilled off, and B) Ben definitely noticed her, as evidenced by him following her inside the house and now spying the erection straining to break free from his pants. Her eyes darted down once more to confirm that, yes, he was most assuredly affected. Rey owed Rose one, big-time.

Number two was that she had no plan for what to do after both getting herself off and gaining Ben’s attention.

And number three… She didn’t know how she was going to respond to him if he asked her whether or not she had just climaxed in his arms. Perhaps his physical reaction was a good sign?

_Shit. Nah_. She was probably screwed. Her brain cheerfully kicked into panic mode, effectively freezing all thought and movement. _Oh, but don’t forget to breathe,_ her mind belatedly reminded amidst the alarm bells ringing loudly in her head.

Her mouth flapped open uselessly for a moment. She stared back at him with wide eyes.

Ben took in her deer-in-the-headlights expression with his brows furrowed, trying to decipher her expression. After a moment, he seemed to remember himself, and his gaze closed off. Stepping back, he moved out of her personal space.

“Maybe you should lie down,” he suggested formally. Gone were the traces of his earlier, seemingly more sincere concern.

“What?” Rey shook her head as if to clear the haze of her afterglow. “Oh. Yeah. I’ll, um, probably do that.” She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the chill of her sweat on her skin as it dried. She watched as Ben clenched his jaw, looking out at festivities through the glass in the French doors.

“Um, your mom’s—”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it. You should rest.” His statements of reassurance came out with a conflicting harshness of tone that confused her.

“Ben?” Her voice suddenly sounded quite small. “Is everything alright?”

He paused at the patio doors. “Perfect.” He bit out, before stalking forward, leaving her alone with an uncomfortable mess between her thighs and unanswered questions on how a magical evening could have ended like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a lot of things in this world I have little to no experience on. I have no idea how high-end, private, political soirées go. I don’t know what vibrating underwear is really like. But damn if I didn’t enjoy writing up this whole situation! Teasing Ben is so, so fun. And who all wishes they had themselves a Rose-like character in their lives to get up to all kinds of mischief together? I sure do! (Oh, and I'm sure Ben isn't completely clueless - who thinks he fully picked up on what was going on with Rey by the end of the chapter?)
> 
> But let’s remember, he’s still got a bit of self-induced guilt to work through. Angsty Ben is angsty. :-p Will they ever get their happy ending? We’ll see! (The answer is yes. Yes, they will get their happy ending. Because it’s been 4 months and I’m still salty about TROS, so every story I write from now on will always give Rey and Ben their happy ending because they damn well deserve it! *steps down from soap box*) Carry on.
> 
> Next chapter, everyone’s going camping!
> 
> Rey’s dress (a.k.a. this one worn by Daisy Ridley https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3335557/Daisy-Ridley-backless-gold-dress-Star-Wars-Fashion-Finds-Force.html)
> 
> Rose’s dress (a.k.a. this one worn by Kelly Marie Tran https://metro.co.uk/2018/03/05/kelly-marie-trans-first-ever-oscars-outfit-stunning-embellished-jenny-packham-dress-7360875/)
> 
> Finn’s suit (https://wowplus.net/john-boyega-makes-wearing-an-all-burgundy-suit-look-so-easy/)
> 
> And heck, why not Ben, Poe, and Paige, too?
> 
> Ben’s suit (https://www.pinterest.pt/pin/762304674408488435/)  
Poe’s suit (https://twitter.com/thefashioncourt/status/676870439826685952)  
Paige’s dress (https://www.aimmyarrowshigh.com/post/171359244052)


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